HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Big Ben: Visits

Bob Spink: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many public tours were made of the Clock Tower in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: 1,674 groups comprising 7,460 individuals visited the Clock Tower in 2007. Records were not kept for previous years.

Freedom of Information

David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission by what means hon. Members are consulted before cases involving the House are brought before the Freedom of Information Tribunal; what the total cost to the House has been of such cases to date; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The House has appealed to the Information Tribunal on three separate occasions: twice in respect of hon. Members' travel expenses and once in respect of information about the Additional Costs Allowance. In each case before lodging an appeal, the Members Estimate Committee—the body responsible for giving advice on matters connected with the allowances—was consulted. In each case the Committee took the view that as hon. Members held divergent views on the extent to which such information should be made available to the public it was appropriate that the level of disclosure should be considered by the Tribunal. In addition, where the appeals related to the allowances of named individuals, the Members concerned have been kept informed at each stage of the process.
	The total external legal costs of the two previous appeals and the cost to date for the most recent appeal is £51,947. Other legal and staff costs including those relating to advice from the House's Legal Services Office and those associated with staff time are not separately available.

Parliamentary Archives: Visits

Bob Spink: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many members of the public visited the Parliamentary Archives in Victoria Tower in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: The number of visits by members of the public in organised groups to the Parliamentary Archives' repository in the Victoria Tower was 225 (20 groups) in 2003-04, 360 (26 groups) in 2004-05, 495 (40 groups) in 2005-06, 442 (39 groups) in 2006-07, and 412 (41 groups) in 2007-08.

Press

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much was spent in each of the last two years on the refurbishment of the Press restaurant.

Nick Harvey: The final cost to the House of the recently completed refurbishment of the Press Gallery was £8.2 million. This is higher than the figure of £7.7 million given on 16 October 2007,  Official Report, column 947, because there were additional costs for removing asbestos and contractors final claims. As well as modern office accommodation, the improved facilities include a new kitchen and a multi-purpose restaurant and café/bar.

Press

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the costs to the Commission were of the provision of facilities to the Parliamentary Press Gallery in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: The direct resource cost of the provision of facilities to the Parliamentary Press Gallery over the past four years—as long as records are retained—has been as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Support staff  Catering  Total 
			 2004-05 93,000 179,300 272,300 
			 2005-06 103,000 226,800 329,800 
			 2006-07 104,000 201,100 305,100 
			 2007-08 forecast 112,000 147,700 259,700

WALES

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress his Department has made in its zero-based budget review under the comprehensive spending review.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office comprehensive spending review settlement was agreed, with HM Treasury, as a three year settlement, fully taking account of efficiency savings.
	Further information on the budget of the Wales Office will be contained in the Wales Office annual report, due to be published later this year.

Mineral Waters

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many litres of bottled water were purchased by his Department in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: My Department has used the following amounts of bottled water, in the last three years.
	
		
			   Litres 
			 2005 1,665 
			 2006 2,072 
			 2007 2,090 
		
	
	My Office, in line with Government initiatives on sustainable development, is exploring possibilities of installing filter taps to provide a drinking water tap in the kitchen at my London office. The water is used for water coolers. No additional bottled water is purchased.
	My Cardiff office is fitted with a filter tap for drinking water.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Assets Recovery Agency: Serious Organised Crime Agency

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable on the transfer of the Assets Recovery Agency to the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Paul Goggins: I have discussed issues relating to asset recovery with the Chief Constable in the course of my regular meetings, including the merger of the Assets Recovery Agency with the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
	All law enforcement agencies in the Organised Crime Task Force—the Police Service of Northern Ireland, HM Revenue and Customs, Assets Recovery Agency and Serious Organised Crime Agency—are currently working together to draw up the Northern Ireland assets recovery action plan for 2008 to 2010, which I intend to publish by the spring.

Crime: Drugs

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much  (a) cocaine,  (b) heroine,  (c) ecstasy,  (d) amphetamine and  (e) cannabis was seized in Northern Ireland in each of the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The latest figures available for the seizures requested cover the period from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007. These are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Cocaine, Heroin, Ecstasy, Amphetamine and Cannabis Seizures, 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 
			  Drugs seized  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb  Mar  NI Totals 
			  (a)  
			 Cocaine Powder (gms) 1,112.4 5,066.2 13,762.9 462.3 507.9 3,813.2 1,450.4 2,217.4 272.5 3,732.0 176.0 3,566.6 36,139.7 
			 Cocaine Wraps 1 14 13 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 3 5 42 
			 Crack Cocaine (gms) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			   
			  (b)  
			 Heroin Ampoules 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Heroin Mls 0.0 0.0 7.0 30.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 40.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 79.1 
			 Heroin Powder (gms) 68.0 51.4 132.9 21.4 46.0 0.0 3.2 1.0 0.2 60.2 98.0 0.0 482.4 
			 Heroin Wraps 1 0 1 9 2 3 4 3 0 0 0 1 24 
			   
			  (c)  
			 Ecstasy Tablets 2,172 17,665 4,293 23,420 14,670 20,923 7,966 2,045 982 1,204 2,587 20,781 118,708 
			 Ecstasy Capsules 0 8 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
			 Ecstasy Powder (gms) 0.0 105.0 0.0 4.0 12.0 13.0 194.8 188.0 1.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 519.8 
			 Ecstasy Crystal (gms) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1,500.0 70.0 2.0 0.0 7.0 0.0 0.0 1,579.0 
			   
			  (d)  
			 Amphetamine Powder (gms) 506.3 3,226.7 626.3 1,546.8 1,343.3 1,888.9 572.8 1,914.6 986.8 3,646.5 787.3 958.4 18,004.7 
			 Amphetamine Tablets 46 0 2 0 10 39 13 4 0 13 0 16 143 
			 Amphetamine Wraps 0 0 0 48 1 0 13 2 0 0 8 26 98 
			   
			  (e)  
			 Cannabis Resin (gms) 93,564.1 10,842.2 15,496.7 11,805.2 12,917.8 13,113.7 3,506,477.3 4,828.0 2,189.7 3,309.2 7,525.6 1,467.7 3,683,536.9 
			 Cannabis Herbal (gms) 487.6 56.3 248.3 3,996.0 348.3 1,467.2 572.4 4,216.7 9,535.8 3,002.0 423.5 2,280.5 26,634.5 
			 Cannabis Oil (gms) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 10.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 12.0 
			 Cannabis Joints 32 16 19 10 10 35 15 24 19 15 22 4 221 
			 Cannabis Plants 80 183 13 22 208 174 251 128 203 103 17 66 1,448

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department and its agencies on  (a) alcohol and  (b) entertaining in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: Expenditure on alcohol is not recorded separately by the Northern Ireland Office and to identify it could only be done so at disproportionate cost. Entertainment is included within the overall spend on hospitality.
	The total hospitality spend for the Department and its agencies within the last 12 months is £307,000. This figure is net of any receipts relating to the recovery of costs, for hospitality provided to bodies outside of the Department.
	Expenditure on hospitality is set out in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on "Regularity and Propriety".

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by senior civil service staff in his Department and its agencies in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: Reimbursable expenses for senior civil service staff in the Northern Ireland Office and its agencies for the last 12 months covering February 2007 to January 2008 totalled £85,000.
	Under the Civil Service Management Code Departments and agencies must:
	reimburse staff only for expenses which they actually and necessarily incur in the course of official business;
	comply with the additional conditions and rules on travel, relocation expenses, compensation for loss or damage to property, and overseas expenses set out in sections 8.2 to 8.6 of the Code; and
	ensure that their rules provide for claiming recompense, including verification and authorisation.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Labour Turnover

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers  (a) left and  (b) joined the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the numbers who have joined and left the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the last three completed financial years and current year to date.
	
		
			   Recruitment (includes transfers from other forces)  Leavers( 1) 
			 2007-08 (to 29 February 2008) 336 470 
			 2006-07 459 440 
			 2005-06 443 404 
			 2004-05 538 454 
			 (1) Leavers includes officers leaving under severance, medical and injury on duty retirements.

Terrorism

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will consider prohibiting the Irish Republican Liberation Army under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The following Irish organisations are proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000:
	Continuity Army Council;
	Cumann na mBan;
	Fianna na hEireann;
	Irish National Liberation Army;
	Irish People's Liberation Organisation;
	Irish Republican Army;
	Loyalist Volunteer Force;
	Orange Volunteers;
	Red Hand Commando;
	Red Hand Defenders;
	Saor Eire;
	Ulster Defence Association;
	Ulster Freedom Fighters; and
	Ulster Volunteer Force.
	As a matter of normal policy and practice we do not comment on organisations not on the proscribed list.

Wind Power

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to which wind farm proposals his Department lodged objection in each of the last three years; and for what reasons in each case.

Shaun Woodward: ( )The Northern Ireland Office has no responsibility for these matters, however the( )Secretary of State for Northern Ireland had responsibility for the Northern Ireland( )Departments until 8 May 2007 when devolution was restored.
	I am advised by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister that no( )objections to wind farm proposals were made by the Northern Ireland Departments in( )2006 and in the period 1 January 2007 to 7 May 2007.

Young Offender Institutions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many young people on average were detained in each young offender institution in Northern Ireland in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007.

Paul Goggins: The information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   2005  2006  2007 
			 Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre 26 25 31 
			 HM Young Offenders Centre Hydebank Wood 200 206 199 
		
	
	Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre provides accommodation for young people aged 10 to 17.
	HM Young Offenders Centre Hydebank Wood holds young people aged 16 to 21. Those( )males aged over 21 who are allowed exceptionally to complete their sentences at Hydebank( )Wood are also classed as young offenders.

SCOTLAND

Postal Services

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on postal services in Scotland.

David Cairns: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues.

Universities: Research

Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on UK Government funding for research in Scottish universities.

Des Browne: I have regular discussions with the First Minister on a range of issues. Scotland's share of public funding for research is 12.5 per cent. as compared to a population share of 9 per cent.

Public Spending

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much per capita was spent from the public purse in Scotland in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Cairns: The latest Treasury public expenditure statistical analyses figures show that the planned spend in Scotland for 2006-07 was £8,623 per head. Public spending per head has increased at a faster rate for England than it has for Scotland in every year since 2001-02.

Armed Forces: Health Care

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the First Minister on the provision of health care for armed forces personnel based in Scotland.

Des Browne: I have had various discussions with the First Minister on a range of subjects including armed forces personnel. The Scottish Executive has the duty to ensure NHS boards in Scotland implement their responsibilities to the armed forces, service families, and veterans. The Ministry of Defence has numerous, regular discussions at various levels to assist the Executive and NHS Scotland in this respect.

Armed Forces: Health Care

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the First Minister on the recent Defence Committee report on medical care for the armed forces, HC327 of session 2007-08.

Des Browne: I have not discussed the recent Defence Committee report on medical care for the armed forces with the First Minister. The Scottish Executive has the duty to ensure NHS boards in Scotland implement their responsibilities to the armed forces, service families, and veterans. The Ministry of Defence has numerous, regular discussions at various levels to assist the Executive and NHS Scotland in this respect.

Financial Services

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had on the financial services sector in Scotland.

David Cairns: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, and I have regular engagement with the industry's significant employers in Scotland who continue to benefit from the UK's economic, monetary and fiscal framework that has underpinned the stability of our economy for so long. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, is also a member of the Chancellor's High Level Group on Financial Services.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the comprehensive spending review settlement provided to the Scottish Executive.

Des Browne: The results of the comprehensive spending review delivered an unequivocally good settlement for Scotland. By the end of the period, the money available to the Scottish Executive will reach £30 billion—more than double the 1999 figure of £14 billion which Donald Dewar had.

Broadcasting

Rosemary McKenna: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Scottish broadcasters on the future of broadcasting in Scotland.

David Cairns: I recently addressed the Salford "Television from the Nations and Regions" conference, where I had discussions with a number of independent broadcasters from across the UK. I have also recently met with the Controller of BBC Scotland and the Chief Executive of Scottish Media Group.

Devolution

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on the progress of devolution.

Des Browne: I meet regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss a wide range of issues. Both the Secretary of State for Wales and I are members of the Cabinet's Constitution committee which is chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice. The committee considers a wide range of constitutional matters.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Public Relations

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what campaigns were undertaken by agencies of his Department in conjunction with external public relations companies in each of the last five years, broken down by lead agency; what the cost of each campaign was; and what public relations companies were involved in each campaign.

Margaret Hodge: The Department has only one executive agency—The Royal Parks Agency. They have used external companies for the following campaigns:
	
		
			   Campaign  £ 
			 2004 Diana Princess of Wales Fountain—Media Strategy 8,813 
			 2005 Diana Princess of Wales Fountain—Media strategy 4,700 
			 2006 Solar Shuttle—Brunswick 1,500 
			 2006 Regent's Park Sport—Brunswick 4,500 
			 2007 Regent's Park Sport—Brunswick 8,000

Government Departments: Flags

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on his Department's consultation on flying the Union flag from Government buildings.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 28 February 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1413W.

Overseas Visitors

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what forecast he has made of the number of inbound visitors to the UK in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2010,  (c) 2012 and  (d) 2020;
	(2)  how many inbound tourist visitors to England he estimates there will be in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2010,  (c) 2012 and  (d) 2020.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 February 2008
	Information on inbound tourist forecasts to England is not available.
	VisitBritain only projects the volume of inbound tourism to the UK for the year ahead due to the large number of factors that can influence the volume and value of inbound tourism over the longer term.
	The most recent forecasts estimate growth by around 2 per cent. during 2008, with 32.3 million visitors expected. This is an aggregate forecast regardless of purpose of visit.
	Full details of the VisitBritain forecasts can be found at:
	http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/MarketlntelligenceResearch/TrendsForecasts.asp
	Preliminary projections of visitor numbers to the games in 2012 were included in "The Value of the Olympic and Paralympics Games to UK Tourism", a study carried out from VisitBritain and VisitLondon, published in September 2007. This study projected an additional 321,000 inbound visitors to London in 2012, contributing to an additional 1.7 per cent. in total tourism industry revenue.

Overseas Visitors

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many inbound tourist visits were made to England in 2007; and what the visitor spend was.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 February 2008
	 Information on inbound tourism visits to England in 2007 is not available. However, the latest provisional monthly figures for inbound tourism to the UK are shown in the following table. These figures are subject to quarterly revisions in light of more accurate data on passenger figures the coming available at the end of each quarter. Therefore data should be treated with caution.
	
		
			  Overseas residents visits and spend in the UK—October to December 2007( 1) 
			   2007  Percentage change on previous year 
			 Visits (millions) 7.7 2 
			 Expenditure (£ billion) 4.0 2 
			 (1 )Please note that all estimates are based on a sample survey and are therefore subject to sampling and other sources of error.  Source: International Passenger Survey 'First Release' (ONS) 
		
	
	The latest full year data on inbound visits and spend to England relate to 2006, where overseas residents made an estimated 27.6 million visits spending £13.8 billion.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Housing: Sales

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what central government receipts were from council house sales in  (a) St. Albans and  (b) Hertfordshire in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of total revenues from council house sales this represented in each area in each year.

Iain Wright: The information requested is tabled as follows.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Right to buy receipts  Set aside/pooling( 1) 
			  St. Albans   
			 1997-98 (2)— 3,643 
			 1998-99 (2)— 3,299 
			 1999-2000 (3)659 5,318 
			 2000-01 7,586 5,642 
			 2001-02 3,426 2,522 
			 2002-03 — — 
			 2003-04(4) 9,615 — 
			 2004-05 6,000 1,080 
			 2005-06 3,343 1,185 
			 2006-07 3,738 2,019 
			
			  Hertfordshire( 5)   
			 1997-98 (2)— 40,100 
			 1998-99 17,268 34,305 
			 1999-2000 43,871 60,362 
			 2000-01 60,317 30,682 
			 2001-02 50,621 54,704 
			 2002-03 63,481 36,568 
			 2003-04(4) 70,048 — 
			 2004-05 39,669 8,180 
			 2005-06 26,835 10,794 
			 2006-07 23,467 14,309 
			 '—'No data (1) The table does not provide the percentage of right to buy receipts set aside or pooled, because only the total amount of housing receipts set-aside/pooled is collected. (2) Information available only at disproportionate cost. (3) Data only available for one quarter. (4) No data on set-aside were collected for 2003-04 as a result of the transition to the pooling regime which was introduced in 2004-05. (5) For some years, the figures for Hertfordshire may actually be higher, because data may be missing from some of the authorities. 
		
	
	The table shows the total capital receipts from right to buy (RTB) sales of local authority dwellings in St. Albans and Hertfordshire. The figures for Hertfordshire are the aggregate of figures for the following 10 authorities that lie within that county: St. Albans city council, Broxbourne borough council, Dacorum borough council, East Hertfordshire district council, Hertsmere district council, North Hertfordshire district council, Stevenage borough council, Three Rivers district council, Watford borough council, and Welwyn Hatfield district council. The figures are net of discount and are as reported by local authorities.
	The table also shows the value of capital receipts set-aside from 1997-98 to 2003-04 (the last year in which the set-aside regime existed). Under the set-aside regime, with-debt local authorities (that is, authorities with outstanding major long-term loans) were required to set-aside a proportion of the capital receipt generated by the disposal of a housing revenue account (HRA) asset, for the repayment of housing debt. Debt-free authorities (that is, authorities with no outstanding major long-term loans), on the other hand, were free to use the whole of their housing receipts for any capital purpose. When set-aside exceeds RTB receipts, it is because set-aside includes a proportion of receipts from not only RTB, but also whole-stock transfers, non-RTB dwelling sales, and sales of other HRA assets such as housing land.
	From 1 April 2004 set-aside no longer applied to most housing receipts. All local authorities, both with-debt and debt-free, paid over or "pooled" the same amounts to the Secretary of State which would have formerly been set aside by with-debt authorities. Until the introduction of the pooling regime, set-aside was the mechanism that allowed a proportion of housing capital receipts to be redistributed for investment elsewhere. When an authority set aside an amount, the need for central government revenue support for that amount of borrowing through HRA subsidy disappeared, thereby enabling central to provide support for borrowing elsewhere.
	The process of pooling is currently being reviewed as part of the wider review of housing finance.

Council Tax: Parking

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1019W, on council tax: parking, how many domestic dwellings in England have been assigned the dwellinghouse coding for parking of  (a) G1,  (b) G2,  (c) G3,  (d) G4,  (e) G5,  (f) G6,  (g) G7,  (h) G8 and  (i) G9, according to records held by the Valuation Office Agency.

John Healey: As at 4 February 2008 the number of domestic dwellings in England for which the Valuation Office Agency has assigned these dwelling house codes are:
	
		
			   Number 
			 G1 6,835,670 
			 G2 1,084,727 
			 G3 34,439 
			 G4 8,872 
			 G5 1,184 
			 G6 770 
			 G7 170 
			 G8 163 
			 G9 278

Council Tax: Tax Yields

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish figures for the cash revenue from council tax in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2007-08, broken down by billing authority.

John Healey: A table giving details of the council tax collected in each billing authority in England in 1997-98 and 2006-07 has been deposited in the Library of the House. Data for 2007-08 are not yet available.
	The figures in the table are shown in thousands and are the amount collected within the year, irrespective of the year to which the money relates. The figures therefore include both arrears received for previous years and prepayment of council tax for subsequent years, but exclude amounts funded by council tax benefit.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities including to the creation of unitary authorities.

Domestic Violence: Refuges

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many domestic violence refuge places there are per head of the population in each local authority area;
	(2)  what plans she has to review the provision of domestic violence refuge bedspace numbers.

Iain Wright: This Government take extremely seriously the issue of protection for people at risk of domestic violence. We do not currently hold the information requested centrally. However we plan to commission new research that will look at the provision of refuge bed spaces and the effectiveness of other housing interventions across the country.
	As my hon. Friend will be aware, I agreed during the committee stage of the Housing and Regeneration Bill to consider her amendment which would allow people who are homeless because of domestic violence to have priority need and be owed a homelessness duty. I will report back to my hon. Friend and the House in due course.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average percentage rate was for satisfaction with household waste collection facilities measured under best value performance indicators in each year in which the information has been collected.

John Healey: Best value user satisfaction survey results show that 79 per cent. 84 per cent. and 86 per cent. of residents were satisfied with waste collection in 2006-07, 2003-04 and 2000-01 respectively. A report containing these results, published by the Audit Commission, has been deposited in the Library.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage rate was of satisfaction with household waste collection facilities for each local waste collection authority in each year that best value performance indicators statistics have been compiled.

John Healey: These data are published by the Audit Commission and a copy of the relevant reports has been deposited in the Library.

Ecobuild 2008

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what involvement her Department had in the Ecobuild 2008 Exhibition and Conference.

Caroline Flint: The Department had a stand at Ecobuild that provided up to date information on a range of departmental policies, and Communities and Local Government officials spoke at a number of workshops. Also, I gave a speech at Ecobuild on the 27 February—a copy of which can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/speeches/corporate/ecobuild2008.

Eco-Towns

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to what minimum energy efficiency standard domestic dwellings in eco-town developments will need to be built.

Caroline Flint: As set out in the Eco-towns Prospectus, homes and the whole eco-town development should be built in a way to incorporate energy systems that can reach zero carbon standards.

Eco-Towns

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individual dwellings will be built, on average, in each eco-town; and over what period.

Caroline Flint: The average number of dwellings expected to be built in each eco-town ranges between 5-20,000. We expect there to be up to five eco-towns by 2016 and 10 by 2020.

Eco-Towns

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government against what technical criteria eco-town bids will be assessed.

Caroline Flint: Eco-towns will be assessed against the criteria set out in the Eco-towns Prospectus, and in relation to technical aspects these are covered in the environment and carbon criteria. Assessments will also be informed by the Code for Sustainable Homes, which as the Prospectus sets out will be used as a guide on sustainability issues.

Eco-Towns

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many eco-town bids she expects to be approved.

Caroline Flint: We expect that there will be 10 eco-towns developed through the eco-towns programme.

Empty Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of empty homes in England; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on 9 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 547-48W.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Egham

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings the regional Minister for the South East has had with  (a) the chief veterinary officer and  (b) the Prime Minister on the foot and mouth outbreak in Egham in 2007.

Hazel Blears: The regional Minister for the South East is also the DEFRA Minister for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs. He was therefore in constant contact with the chief veterinary officer throughout the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2007. He also attended COBRA briefing sessions, visited some areas of the South East affected by the outbreak and briefed relevant local Members of Parliament on the situation as it developed.

Home Information Packs

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home condition reports are on the Home Condition Report electronic register.

Caroline Flint: The number of voluntary home condition reports which have been lodged on the Home Condition Report Register up to 27 February 2008 is 1,743.

Housing Act 2004

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which provisions of the Housing Act 2004 have yet to be implemented or commenced.

Iain Wright: All of the provisions of the Housing Act 2004 that relate to England have been commenced.

Housing Improvement: Disabled

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Part M of the Building Regulations applies to house extensions and improvements; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 29 March 2008
	Part M does not apply to an extension of, or a material alteration of, a dwelling.

Housing Improvement: Planning Permission

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason a full design and access statement is required in relation to minor household extensions  (a) in conservation areas and  (b) for listed buildings; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: A design and access statement is a report supporting a planning application to explain and justify a development proposal. A design and access statement is required for all planning applications, with a few limited exceptions such as existing dwelling houses outside designated areas. A design and access statement is also required for listed building consent. A major part of a design and access statement is the explanation of how local context has influenced the design. Local context is particularly important for conservation areas and listed buildings. A design and access statement can nevertheless be very concise so long as it effectively covers all of the design and access issues for a proposed development.

Housing: Databases

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency stores the unique property reference number of a domestic property that is provided to it through the Valuebill interface.

John Healey: Yes.

Housing: Licensing

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have  (a) applied for designation of an area as subject to additional licensing and  (b) obtained designation under the terms of section 58 of the Housing Act 2004.

Iain Wright: There have been no formal applications to the Department from local authorities seeking approval for additional HMO licensing schemes, therefore no designations have been granted under the terms of section 58 of the Housing Act 2004.

Housing: Low Incomes

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) local authorities and  (b) arm's length management organisations are in (i) positive and (ii) negative subsidy with reference to the housing revenue account.

Iain Wright: The following table lists those local housing authorities that are in positive housing revenue account (HRA) and negative HRA subsidy. Local authorities that have delegated housing management functions to an arm's length management organisation are marked with a superscript(1).
	 Local housing authorities with positive HRA  subsidy entitlement in 2006-07
	Ashfield(1)
	Barnsley(1)
	Basildon(1)
	Birmingham
	Blackpool(1)
	Blyth Valley(1)
	Bolton(1)
	Brent(1)
	Brighton and Hove
	Bristol
	Camden
	City of London
	Derby(1)
	Ealing(1)
	Easington(1)
	Eastbourne(1)
	Gateshead(1)
	Greenwich
	Hackney(1)
	Hammersmith(1)
	Haringey(1)
	Hounslow(1)
	Islington(1)
	Kensington(1)
	Kings Lynn
	Kingston Upon Hull
	Kirklees(1)
	Lambeth(1)
	Leeds(1)
	Leicester
	Lewisham(1)
	Lincoln
	Liverpool
	Manchester(1)
	Newcastle upon Tyne(1)
	Newham(1)
	North Tyneside
	Nottingham(1)
	Oldham(1)
	Plymouth
	Rochdale(1)
	Salford(1)
	Sandwell(1)
	Sheffield(1)
	South Norfolk
	Southwark
	Stockton(1)
	Teesdale
	Thanet
	Tower Hamlets
	Waltham Forest(1)
	Westminster(1)
	Wigan(1)
	 Local housing authorities with negative HRA subsidy entitlement in 2006-07
	Adur
	Alnwick
	Arun
	Ashford
	Aylesbury
	Babergh
	Barking
	Barnet(1)
	Barrow
	Bassetlaw(1)
	Berwick
	Blaby
	Bolsover
	Bournemouth
	Bracknell
	Braintree
	Brentwood
	Bridgnorth
	Broxtowe
	Bury(1)
	Cambridge
	Cannock Chase
	Canterbury
	Caradon
	Carrick(1)
	Castle Morpeth
	Castle Point
	Charnwood(1)
	Cheltenham(1)
	Chesterfield
	Chester-le-Street
	Chorley
	City of York
	Colchester(1)
	Corby
	Crawley
	Croydon
	Dacorum
	Darlington
	Dartford
	Daventry
	Derwentside
	Doncaster(1)
	Dover
	Dudley
	Durham
	East Devon
	East Riding
	Ellesmere Port
	Enfield
	Epping Forest
	Exeter
	Fareham
	Fenland
	Gedling
	Gloucester(1)
	Gosport
	Gravesham
	Great Yarmouth
	Guildford
	Harborough
	Harlow
	Harrogate
	Harrow
	Havering(1)
	High Peak(1)
	Hillingdon(1)
	Hinckley
	Ipswich
	Kettering
	Kingston upon Thames
	Lancaster
	Lewes
	Luton
	Macclesfield
	Mansfield
	Medway Towns
	Melton
	Merton
	Mid Devon
	Mid Suffolk
	Milton Keynes
	Mole Valley
	NE Derbyshire(1)
	New Forest
	Newark(1)
	North Cornwall
	North Kesteven
	North Lincoln
	North Shropshire
	North Warwick
	Northampton
	Nuneaton
	NW Leicester
	Oadby and Wigston
	Oswestry
	Oxford City
	Pendle
	Poole(1)
	Portsmouth
	Reading
	Redbridge(1)
	Redditch
	Ribble Valley
	Richmondshire
	Rochford
	Rotherham(1)
	Rugby
	Runnymede
	Rutland
	Salisbury
	Sedgefield
	Sedgemoor(1)
	Sefton
	Selby
	Shepway
	Slough
	Solihull(1)
	South Beds
	South Cambridge
	South Derby
	South Gloucs
	South Holland
	South Kesteven
	South Lakeland(1)
	South Northants
	South Tyneside(1)
	Southampton
	Southend-on-Sea(1)
	St. Albans
	Stevenage(1)
	Stockport(1)
	Stoke-on-Trent
	Stroud
	Sutton(1)
	Swindon
	Tamworth
	Tandridge
	Taunton Deane
	Tendring
	Three Rivers
	Thurrock
	Uttlesford
	Wandsworth
	Warrington(1)
	Warwick
	Waveney
	Waverley
	Wealden
	Wear Valley(1)
	Wellingborough
	West Lancashire
	Winchester
	Woking
	Wokingham
	Wolverhampton(1)
	Wycombe
	2006-07 is the latest financial year for which audited data are available. Although( )local housing authorities in surplus and so making HRA subsidy payments to the( )Department outnumber local housing authorities receiving positive HRA subsidy, the( )Exchequer made a net contribution of £148 million to HRA subsidy nationally.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 583W, and 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 690-91W, on housing: low incomes, what the early repayment charges are on  (a) Part 1 and  (b) Part 2 of the loans offered by Yorkshire Building Society if the mortgage is redeemed or the property is sold within the first five years of the mortgage.

Iain Wright: The question does not relate to our low cost home ownership policy. It is in relation to loans offered by a mortgage lender.
	The Yorkshire Building Society should be contacted for details of early repayment charges on parts 1 and 2.

Housing: Low Incomes

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Housing Corporation plans to produce an assessment methodology for determining the impact of affordable housing investment decisions on community cohesion; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: As set out in the response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, published on 4 February, the Housing Corporation within their Affordable Housing Programme requires all Investment Partners to provide a 'Method Statement' that details how they intend to meet the needs of diverse communities.
	The Corporation will be doing further work later this year on an assessment methodology for determining the impact of affordable housing investment decisions on community cohesion.

Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) percentage increase and  (b) cash change in (i) housing management allowance, (ii) housing maintenance allowance and (iii) major works allowance subsidies for local authorities in England was in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The percentage and cash changes to the management allowance, maintenance allowance and major repairs allowance are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Management cash change  (£)  Maintenance cash change  (£)  MR cash change  (£)  Management change  Maintenance change (%)  MRA change (%) 
			 2000-01 6.52 21.67 (1)— 1.8 3.5 (1)— 
			 2001-02 0.51 23.80 (1)— 0.1 3.7 (1)— 
			 2002-03 30.34 42.63 13.66 8.4 6.4 2.5 
			 2003-04 35.61 44.20 13.18 9.1 6.2 2.3 
			 2004-05 49.39 83.54 15.06 11.6 11.0 2.6 
			 2005-06 53.44 91.77 21.64 11.2 10.9 3.6 
			 2006-07 50.15 87.83 16.07 9.5 9.4 2.6 
			 2007-08 21.95 38.58 17.86 3.8 3.8 2.8 
			 2008-09 25.49 34.73 18.52 4.2 3.3 2.8 
			 (1) Major repairs allowance introduced in 2001-2002.  Note: Data pre-2000-2001 are only available at disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	Figures in the table are based on stock weighted average allowances for England. Certain factors used in the calculation of allowances are updated every year. For instance, the costs of building labour varies regionally and this variation can fluctuate from year to year. This means that the allowances for management, maintenance and the MRA can have regional variations in them from year to year. These variations redistribute the management, maintenance and MRA pot within the allowances, rather than adding extra allowance.

Housing: Standards

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answers of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 1328-9W, on housing standards, which councils have delivery dates to meet the decent home standard; and what those dates are in each case.

Iain Wright: The information requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Housing: Standards

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have given her Department notice that they will not be able to achieve the decent homes standard by 2010.

Iain Wright: The information requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Housing: Standards

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the  (a) 2026 new housing targets and  (b) annual new housing targets proposed by each of the advisory panels of all the respective regional assemblies in England.

Iain Wright: holding answer 26 February 2008
	The Government sets the overall strategy for housing supply in England. The Housing Green Paper, "Homes for the Future: more affordable, more sustainable" (July 2007), sets out a target to increase housing supply to 240,000 additional homes per annum by 2016.
	Four out of eight RSSs have a plan life period, which extend to 2026:
	Yorkshire and Humber
	West Midlands
	South East
	South West
	The remaining four RSSs have a plan life period, which extends to 2021:
	North East
	North West
	East Midlands
	East of England
	Detailed housing targets are not set by Government, but are set out in regional and local plans which are developed through regional and local planning processes.
	Detailed housing targets proposed in each RSS can be examined by accessing the websites cited as follows:
	 North East
	http://www.gos.gov.uk/gone/ourregion/regional_strategies/
	 North West
	http://www.gos.gov.uk/gonw/Planning/RegionalPlanning/
	 Yorkshire and Humber
	http://www.yhassembly.gov.uk/News/2007/Assembly%20 welcomes%20publication%20of%20RSS%20panel%20 report/
	 East Midlands
	http://www.gos.gov.uk/goem/psc/suscom/rss/eastmidlandsplan/
	 West Midlands
	http://www.wmra.gov.uk/page.asp?id=47
	 East of England
	http://www.eera.gov.uk/category.asp?cat=120
	 South East
	http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/southeastplan/plan/view_plan.html
	 South West
	http://www.southwest-ra.gov.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=836

Housing: Thermal Insulation

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to promote innovation in the development of thermal insulation materials to be fitted to existing housing stock.

Iain Wright: My Department has been working with DEFRA, BERR and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to consider how we might promote innovation in this area, in particular with respect to the more difficult to treat solid-walled properties. As a result, the TSB included the issue of thermal insulation of existing buildings in its recent £12 million call for collaborative research and development proposals in the area of materials for energy. A number of research proposals have been received and are currently being evaluated.
	These three Departments in conjunction with Communities and Local Government have also collaborated with the TSB in developing their Low Impact Buildings Innovation Platform which will be launched this spring. This focuses on what is needed to enable UK industry to successfully meet the requirements of level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, to meet similar high levels of performance for new non- domestic buildings, and to develop materials for retrofitting the existing building stock. This will include fostering innovative improvements to the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings.

Infrastructure Planning Commission

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what scrutiny activity the Infrastructure Planning Commission will undertake other than of National Policy Statements.

John Healey: The Infrastructure Planning Commission's main function will be to examine and determine applications for development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects. National Policy Statements will be scrutinised by Parliament.

Local Government: Pay

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what measure of inflation local authorities will base staff pay changes in 2008-09.

John Healey: Pay uplifts for local authority employees, other than teachers, are negotiated by the Local Government Employers and the trade unions in the National Joint Council.
	The Government's policy is that public sector pay settlements should reflect the individual labour market position of work forces, be consistent with achievement of the Government's CPI inflation target of 2 per cent., be affordable and represent value for money for taxpayers.

Non-Domestic Rates: Educational Institutions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether account is taken by the Valuation Office Agency of the presence of sprinklers when calculating the rental value of educational premises for business rates.

John Healey: Fire suppression sprinklers are designated as rateable. Therefore, they will be taken into account by the Valuation Office Agency when they assess the rateable value of all rateable properties including educational premises.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in what proportion of cases where a local authority lost a planning appeal, the local authority was obliged to meet all the costs of the appeal in financial year 2006-07.

Iain Wright: Information to provide an answer to the precise question is not available. In 2006-07, 362 awards of appeal costs were made against local planning authorities. This figure comprises both full awards, where authorities lost the appeal, and partial awards where authorities did not lose the appeal but were made liable to pay partial costs for one or more aspects of the appeal. No record is available of the proportional breakdown between full and partial awards.
	The actual amount to be paid is not determined by a costs award. This is for the parties to settle by negotiation initially in accordance with longstanding Government guidance contained in DOE Circular 8/93.

Planning Permission: Renewable Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1318W, on planning permission: renewable energy, if she will provide a list of the no overall control council authorities referred to in the table.

Iain Wright: The councils with no overall political control who refused planning permission for renewable energy projects in 2007 are as follows:
	Allerdale Borough Council (two cases)
	Bedford Borough Council
	Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council
	Eden District Council
	The councils with no overall political control who had undetermined planning applications for renewable energy projects at the end of 2007 are as follows:
	Allerdale Borough Council (four cases)
	Bedford Borough Council
	Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council (three cases)
	Bradford Metropolitan District Council
	Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (two cases)
	Castle Morpeth Borough Council
	Derby City Council
	East Lindsey District Council
	Eden District Council (two cases)
	Kerrier District Council (two cases)
	Leeds City Council
	Mid Devon District Council (two cases)
	Milton Keynes Council (two cases)
	North Cornwall District Council
	Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
	Scarborough Borough Council
	Tendring District Council
	Weymouth and Portland Borough Council

Planning: Floods

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on flood risks to existing householders from nearby large scale developments in flood plains; and if she will seek to arrange discussions with insurance companies on these concerns.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 1 February 2008
	The Government are well aware of the potential impacts large scale developments might have on the risk of flooding to existing householders. To manage these risks and avoid inappropriate development in flood risk areas we published planning guidance on development and flood risk in 2001, and strengthened this with the new Planning Policy Statement (PPS)25 in December 2006. PPS25 requires that the flood risk to and from all new development in flood risk areas, and from development over l ha outside these areas is assessed as part of the application for planning permission.
	We also made the Environment Agency a statutory consultee on planning applications and introduced a flooding direction so that planning authorities cannot approve major developments against an objection from the Agency without first referring them to Ministers.
	We are committed to working with the insurance industry to maximise the availability of flood insurance for homes and small businesses, and maintain regular contact with the Association of British Insurers to discuss insurance cover for existing properties, and other issues of mutual interest.

Planning: Greenbelt

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether regional planning authorities have powers to  (a) review and  (b) remove green belt designation.

Iain Wright: No. Regional spatial strategies prepared by regional planning bodies set the framework for green belt policy and settlement policy for the region, forming the context for local plan-making by local planning authorities. Planning Policy Guidance Note 2, "Green Belts", states that local planning authorities can alter green belt boundaries through their local plans only in exceptional circumstances. Any such proposal will be subject to full consultation and independent examination.

Public Buildings: Fire Prevention

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what standards are used to test the combustibility of composite cladding panels used in the walls and roofs of new public buildings, with particular reference to schools and hospitals; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Building Regulations 2000 (as amended) apply to building work, typically the erection, extension or material alteration of a building. Part B sets out requirements for fire safety and is supported by guidance in Approved Document B which sets out appropriate levels of fire performance for materials, products and structures when tested to relevant British or European standards.
	Fire performance is tested using either the relevant parts of British Standard, BS 476 or using the tests specified in the relevant part of European Standard, EN 13501. The necessary level of performance that should be obtained will depend upon the type of building, the nature of the construction product and where it is located.
	Specific guidance on meeting the fire safety requirements of the Building Regulations in the design and construction of schools is given in Building Bulletin 100 which is published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and on hospitals in Health Technical Memorandum 02-05 which is published by the Department of Health.

Regeneration: Blackpool

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been allocated to the regeneration of  (a) the Talbot Gateway and  (b) other regeneration in central Blackpool for (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Investment by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and English Partnerships forms an important part of the overall package of regeneration measures for Blackpool announced in Parliament on 26 February 2008 in response to the report of the Blackpool Task Force. Central Government does not itself make decisions on, or directly fund, such investment, which quite properly must be informed by regional and local funding priorities and be funded according to the criteria and resources of the relevant organisations.
	The NWDA have worked closely with ReBlackpool on the Talbot Gateway development, have provided initial financial support and now await costed proposals for the next stages. Talbot Gateway is expected to lever significant private sector investment.

Regional Planning and Development: Thames Gateway

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to publish the Thames Gateway Pan Gateway Inward Investment Plan; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The three Regional Development Agencies involved in the Thames Gateway are currently developing a joint Pan-Gateway inward investment service which will come into place in April 2008, details of which will be published alongside their Economic Development Investment Plan. They are also preparing a joint inward investment marketing strategy which will be ready for execution in the summer.

Rightmove: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Valuation Office Agency has budgeted for payments to Rightmove.co.uk plc in 2008-09.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency has made no specific provision for payments to Rightmove.co.uk plc.

Sustainable Development: Expenditure

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government further to the publication by her Department of Sustainable Communities Act 2007: A Guide, whether cross-regional expenditure by  (a) Government Offices for the Regions and  (b) regional development agencies will be classed as public expenditure that cannot be mapped to local authority areas.

John Healey: Section 6 of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 requires the Secretary of State to make arrangements for the production of local spending reports. A local spending report produces information about public expenditure in relation to a particular geographical area. While the basis behind local spending reports is to identify where public money is spent, it will not be possible or cost effective to map all public expenditure. For example, some public funding supports services which are not geographically specific or are used by people from a number of local authority areas.
	Work on implementation is currently at an early stage and we aim to consult on proposals in the summer.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Birds: Imports

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the regulation of wild bird imports of the non-EU species proposed by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee for inclusion in Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 has changed since the EU banned bird imports because of concerns over avian influenza.

Joan Ruddock: The EU ban on the import of wild birds has meant that, other than birds imported for conservation programmes, only captive-bred birds from approved breeding establishments have been permitted for import into the EU. These, and those birds imported for conservation programmes, must undergo a period of quarantine.
	Birds of prey, such as those proposed by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee for inclusion in Schedule 4, that are imported under exemptions from the ban continue to be subject to the controls under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Birds: Imports

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether birds imported into the UK from other EU member states with Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species sales certificates may be traced for DNA testing if required.

Joan Ruddock: There are no import controls between EU member states. CITES listed birds moved within Europe for commercial purposes will require a certificate issued under Article 10 of Regulation EC No 338/97 by the member state of its origin.
	If the bird in question is noted as being captive bred, and provided the parent birds are available for examination, it would be possible for the bird's ancestry to be established through DNA analysis of blood or tissue. This would of course require the co-operation of the CITES management authority of the member state in question.

Boilers: Standards

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if the Government will consider the merits of using industry expertise to work with the European Commission to produce a separate standard for heating controls rather than including them with boilers as outlined in the Energy-using Products Directive;
	(2)  what assessment the Government has made of the effects of Lot 1 of the Energy-using Products Directive on the UK heating controls industry.

Joan Ruddock: Heating controls play an important role in reducing the energy used by heating systems and the Government published a consultation paper on 17 January setting out indicative standards for better use of existing controls and advanced controls for domestic heating. A copy of the consultation document is available on the DEFRA website.
	Following receipt on 31 January of the Commission's proposed implementing measure on boilers and water heaters under the Framework Directive on the Eco Design of Energy Using Products (EuP), the Market Transformation Programme sent a copy of the proposals to a distribution list of several hundred stakeholders, including any business or trade association that had previously expressed an interest in receiving information on developments on heating, asking for comments within three weeks to prepare a position for the Consultation Forum meeting on 29 February.
	DEFRA officials held a large stakeholder meeting on 4 February to discuss both the proposals in the consultation paper on domestic heating and to receive feedback from industry on the Commission's proposals on boilers and water heaters. In addition, officials have held a number of ad hoc meetings with key stakeholders from the boiler and water heater industry, including a site visit to better understand the boiler supply chain, in order to discuss the implications of the proposals on boilers and water heaters for the UK.

Boilers: Standards

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on the implications of the proposed implementation of the Energy-using Products Directive of boilers outside the scope of the Directive.

Joan Ruddock: My officials regularly meet and discuss issues on an EU level and have held a number of meetings, informal and formal, with the Commission on the Energy Using Products Directive and its impact on the water heater and boiler heating industry.
	The Commission is currently analysing responses from the boiler and water heater industry on its proposals for the Energy-using Products Directive. My officials also attended a Consultation Forum (comprising the Commission, European Trade associations and other member state representatives) on the Directive on 29 February where this issue was discussed.

Energy-using Products Directive

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what  (a) research and  (b) assessments he has evaluated on the impact of the Energy-using Products Directive on the boiler-making industry; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment the Government have made of the impact of Lot 1 of the Energy-using Products Directive on the UK heating controls industry;
	(3)  what account was taken of electrical equipment waste arising from the requirement of the Energy-using Products Directive to supply system bundles after 2013.

Joan Ruddock: The Government's market transformation programme is currently assessing the full range of possible impacts of the implementation of the Energy Using Products Directive based on the Commission's current proposals.
	Heating controls play an important role in reducing the energy used by heating systems. DEFRA officials held a large stakeholder meeting on 4 February to discuss the proposals in the public consultation launched on 17 January, which set out indicative standards for better use of existing controls and advanced controls for domestic heating, and to receive feedback from industry on the Commission's proposals on boilers and water heaters.
	Officials have also held a number of ad hoc meetings with key stakeholders from the boiler and water heater industry in order to discuss the implications of the proposals on boilers and water heaters for the UK.
	Following receipt on 31 January of the Commission's proposed implementing measure on boilers and water heaters under the Framework Directive on the Eco Design of Energy Using Products (EuP), the Government's market transformation programme sent a copy of the Commission's proposals to a distribution list of several hundred stakeholders, including any business or trade association that had previously expressed an interest in receiving information on developments on heating, asking for comments within three weeks to prepare a position for the Consultation Forum meeting, which was held on 29 February.

Heating: Energy Conservation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to ensure the Energy-using Products Directive does not negatively impact on the proposed UK strategy to develop the market for advanced heating controls in new and existing homes.

Joan Ruddock: The Government are committed to raising product efficiency. We are working with key stakeholders from the boiler and water heater industry and the European Commission to develop proposals which will maximise the standards and efficiency of products covered by the Energy Using Products Directive and ensure these do not negatively impact on the market for advanced heating controls in new and existing homes.
	Heating controls play an important role in improving the efficiency of heating systems and the Government have recently published a consultation paper setting out indicative standards for better use of existing controls and advanced controls for domestic heating. A copy of the consultation document is available on DEFRA's website.

Heating: Energy Conservation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will meet representatives of the controls industry to discuss the creation of a separate standard for controls.

Joan Ruddock: Heating controls play an important role in reducing the energy used by heating systems. DEFRA officials held a large stakeholder meeting on 4 February to discuss the proposals in the public consultation launched on 17 January, which set out indicative standards for better use of existing controls and advanced controls for domestic heating, and to receive feedback from industry on the Commission's proposals on boilers and water heaters.
	Officials have also held a number of ad hoc meetings with key stakeholders from the boiler and water heater industry (including a site visit to better understand the boiler supply chain) in order to discuss the implications of the proposals on boilers and water heaters for the UK.
	Following receipt on 31 January of the Commission's proposed implementing measure on boilers and water heaters under the Framework Directive on the Eco Design of Energy Using Products (EuP), the Government's Market Transformation Programme sent a copy of the Commission's proposals to a distribution list of several hundred stakeholders, including any business or trade association that had previously expressed an interest in receiving information on developments on heating, asking for comments within three weeks to prepare a position for the Consultation Forum meeting held on 29 February.
	I have no current plans to meet representatives of the controls industry.

Heating: Energy Conservation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to ensure the Energy-using Products Directive complements the proposed UK strategy to develop the market for advanced heating controls in new and existing homes.

Joan Ruddock: The Government are committed to raising product efficiency and we are working with key stakeholders from the boiler and water heater industry and the European Commission to develop proposals which will maximise the standards and efficiency of products covered by the Energy Using Products Directive and ensure these do not negatively impact on the market for advanced heating controls in new and existing homes.
	Heating controls play an important role in improving the efficiency of heating systems and the Government have recently published a consultation paper setting out indicative standards for better use of existing controls and advanced controls for domestic heating. A copy of the consultation is available on the DEFRA website.

Heating: Energy Conservation

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what consideration his Department has given to the establishment of progressive minimum standards for heating controls under the energy-using products framework directive;
	(2)  what steps the Government are taking to ensure the energy-using products directive complements the proposed UK strategy to develop the market for advanced heating controls;
	(3)  what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the energy-using products directive maximises carbon savings of heating controls.

Joan Ruddock: The Government are committed to raising product efficiency and we are working with key stakeholders from the boiler and water heater industry and the European Commission to develop proposals which will maximise the standards and efficiency of products covered by the energy using products directive, without negatively impacting on the market for heating controls.
	Heating controls play an important role in improving the efficiency of heating systems and the Government have recently published a consultation paper setting out indicative standards for better use of existing controls and advanced controls for domestic heating. A copy of the consultation document is available on the DEFRA website.

Heating: Energy Conservation

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the European Commission about application of provisions matching those in the proposed energy-using products directive to boilers beyond the scope of the proposed directive.

Joan Ruddock: DEFRA officials regularly meet and discuss issues on an EU level and have held formal and informal meetings with the Commission on how its proposals for implementing the energy using products directive may impact on the boiler and water heater industry.
	The Commission is currently analysing responses from the boiler and water heater industry on the Commission's proposals and DEFRA officials attended a consultation forum (comprising the Commission, European Trade Associations and other member state representatives) on the directive on 29 February where concerns raised by this industry were discussed.

Heating: Energy Conservation

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which bodies his Department has consulted on the development of the energy-using products framework directive;
	(2)  if he will meet heating controls industry representatives to discuss the creation of a standard for heating controls;
	(3)  what meetings with stakeholders during the three week consultation on the energy-using framework directive period his Department has planned other than the consultation forum on 29 February;
	(4)  what consideration the Government have given to involving industry expertise in the development of a standard for heating controls distinct from that contained in the energy-using products directive.

Joan Ruddock: Heating controls play an important role in reducing the energy used by heating systems and the Government published a consultation paper on 17 January setting out indicative standards for better use of existing controls and advanced controls for domestic heating. A copy of the consultation document is available on the DEFRA website.
	Following receipt on 31 January of the Commission's proposed implementing measure on boilers and water heaters under the framework directive on the eco design of energy using products (EuP), the Market Transformation programme sent a copy of the proposals to a distribution list of several hundred stakeholders, including any business or trade association that had previously expressed an interest in receiving information on developments on heating, asking for comments within three weeks to prepare a position for the Consultation Forum meeting on 29 February.
	DEFRA officials held a large stakeholder meeting on 4 February to discuss both the proposals in the consultation paper on domestic heating and to receive feedback from industry on the Commission's proposals on boilers and water heaters. In addition, officials have held a number of ad hoc meetings with key stakeholders from the boiler and water heater industry, (including a site visit to better understand the boiler supply chain) to discuss the implications of the proposals on boilers and water heaters for the UK.
	I have no current proposals to meet with the heating controls industry.

Nature Conservation

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what methods his Department uses to assess the validity of captive breeding claims of species in Annex A of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species before issuing sales certificates.

Joan Ruddock: Captive breeding claims are assessed by the UK CITES management authority in consultation with our scientific authority, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The evidence provided by the applicant is assessed against the criteria set out in Article 54 of EU Regulation 865/2006, that is:
	that the specimen is, or is derived from, the offspring born or otherwise produced in a controlled environment;
	the breeding stock was established in accordance with the legislative provisions applicable at their time of their acquisition and in a manner not detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild;
	the breeding stock has not been supplemented by specimens taken from the wild (except in certain restricted circumstances);
	the breeding stock has itself produced second or subsequent generation offspring in a controlled environment, or is managed in a manner that has been demonstrated to be capable of producing second generation offspring in a controlled environment.
	A specimen is assessed as captive bred if both the Management and scientific authorities are satisfied that all of these criteria are met. If there are any doubts about the evidence supplied by the applicant, an inspection may be carried out to verify these claims. This inspection may include DMA testing of parents and their claimed offspring.
	If the authorities are not able to satisfy themselves that a specimen meets the criteria above, they may still decide to issue a certificate, but with conditions attached to it to restrict how the specimen can be used commercially. Certificates issued under CITE are issued by Animal health.

Nature Conservation: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from  (a) English Nature,  (b) Buglife and  (c) the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on the impact of the development of wetlands and sites of special scientific interest on the west of Canvey Island; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: No representations have been received from Natural England (English Nature's successor), Buglife, or the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on the impact of the development of wetlands and Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the west of Canvey Island.

Nature Conservation: Thames Estuary

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from environmental non-governmental organisations on the impact on wildlife on and around  (a) Two Tree Island,  (b) Canvey Island wetlands and  (c) mainland wetlands in Castle Point constituency of dredging the Thames estuary for the (i) Thames gate port shipping channel and (ii) the Thames gateway port development; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: No representations have been received from environmental non-governmental organisations on the impact on wildlife on and around the inter-tidal wetlands within Castle Point district

PRIME MINISTER

Constitutional Reform

Graham Allen: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to his statement of 3 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 815-6, on constitutional reform, what steps he plans to take to raise the level of public interest and engagement in the issues to which he referred; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: Empowering the citizens of this country so they have a more direct say over the decisions that affect their lives, and greater influence over the work of the Government between elections, is central to the work of each Department in Whitehall.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Hazel Blears) has announced she will publish a White Paper focused on empowering citizens and involving people in improving local services and promoting active citizenship.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Visits Abroad

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, column 11W, on departmental visits abroad, how many visits overseas by officials in her Office there were in the financial year 2006-07.

Helen Goodman: Details of overseas ministerial visits by the Leader of the House of( )Commons in the financial year 2006-07 are included in the annual( )table published by the Cabinet Office which can be found at:( )
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/
	Officials accompanied the Leader or Deputy Leader of the House on( )the following visits;
	
		
			  Dates  Destination 
			 18-19 April 2006 Vienna, Austria 
			 31 August 2006 The Hague, Netherlands 
			 28 October to 6 November 2006 Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) 
		
	
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the "Civil Service( )Management Code" and the "Ministerial Code".

HEALTH

Aphasia: Health Services

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts commission aphasia support services.

Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally.

Bone Diseases: Medical Treatments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to issue guidance on the administering of enbrel and humira to people diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis.

Ann Keen: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has received two appeals against its final appraisal determination on adalimumab (brand name Humira), etanercept (brand name Enbrel) and infliximab for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. Final guidance will not be published until the appeals have been heard.
	Funding for licensed treatments should not be withheld because guidance from NICE is unavailable. In December 2006, we issued refreshed good practice guidance which asks national health service bodies to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from NICE is not available at the time the treatment or technology first becomes available.

Departmental Homeworking

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in his Department have been able to work from home in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department operates a homeworking scheme under which a person's home is formally designated as their regular place of work for some or all of the working week. At the end of December 2007, the Department had seven homeworkers.
	Homeworking is one of a number of arrangements that the Department provides to promote flexible working, including part time working, flexitime schemes, job sharing, part year appointments, unpaid leave, and compressing the working week into less than five days. The use of information technology also allows many staff to work from home on an occasional basis.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on the redesign and implementation of his new departmental website.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department relaunched its corporate website (www.dh.gov.uk) on 10 February 2008 following a project to redesign the site and restructure the content. The total cost of the redesign and implementation project was £513,000. This includes user research, visual and template design, content review and restructure, technical build, test and deployment, and testing.
	The relaunch of the Department's website was far more than a simple 'redesign'. As well as incorporating a new graphic design, the entire website structure was completely changed to reflect better the work of the Department and its priorities. The Department's website was last redesigned four years ago. User research and customer feedback demonstrated that it had become outdated and content was increasingly difficult to find. Feedback suggests that this redesign has significantly improved the ease with which users find information on the site.

Departmental Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the salary range is for each pay band of civil servants in his Department.

Ben Bradshaw: Salary range minima and maxima for grades below senior civil service (SCS) in each of the three geographical locations are presented in the following three tables. The Department is responsible for setting these ranges.
	
		
			  Table 1: National pay rates 
			  £ 
			  Grade  Minimum  Maximum 
			 Administrative Officer (AO) 14,826 19,449 
			 Executive Officer (EO) 18,519 28,112 
			 Higher Executive Officer (HEO) 23,721 32,627 
			 Senior Executive Officer (SEO) 29,298 41,991 
			 Grade 7 39,695 56,543 
			 Grade 6 50,014 68,410 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  2 :  Outer London  pay rates 
			  £ 
			  Grade  Minimum  Maximum 
			 AO 16,356 20,673 
			 EO 20,049 28,112 
			 HEO 25,251 34,157 
			 SEO 30,827 42,314 
			 Grade 7 41,225 57,452 
			 Grade 6 51,544 69,940 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Inner London pay rates 
			  £ 
			  Grade  Minimum  Maximum 
			 AO 17,886 22,203 
			 EO 21,579 28,290 
			 HEO 26,781 35,687 
			 SEO 32,357 43,844 
			 Grade 7 42,755 58,982 
			 Grade 6 53,074 71,470 
		
	
	Salary ranges for SCS grades do not differ by location. These ranges are set centrally and apply across all Government Departments.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Grade  Minimum  Maximum 
			 SCS Pay Band 1 56,100 116,000 
			 SCS Pay Band 2 81,600 160,000 
			 SCS Pay Band 3 99,960 205,000

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what private finance initiative projects have been approved by his Department in each of the last three financial years, broken down by  (a) value and  (b) start date.

Ben Bradshaw: The capital value and start date for every signed private finance initiative project are recorded centrally on HM Treasury's website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm

Departmental Property

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what property has been lost or stolen from his Department since 1997; and at what cost to the public purse for replacements.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Departmental losses/thefts for the years from 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			  Financial year  Laptops  Replacement cost (£)  Mobile telephones  Replacement cost (£)  Other information technology (IT) equipment/peripherals  Replacement cost (£) 
			 1997-98 23 43,098.68 19 768.88 38 4,621.42 
			 1998-99 19 40,068.70 19 691.25 37 14,388.27 
			 1999-2000 18 36,260.35 26 556.95 30 8,276.51 
			 2000-01 23 46,917.62 43 1,331.64 36 8,583.73 
			 2001-02 35 62,275.69 36 994.77 18 7,230.30 
			 2002-03 30 49,672.07 37 2,692.53 27 13,639.56 
			 2003-04 34 51,459.53 29 1,953.67 16 3,503.71 
			 2004-05 23 32,783.94 15 1,398.97 14 5,694.20 
			 2005-06 18 20,599.97 11 436.52 10 3,393.87 
			 2006-07 11 11,509.71 18 652.50 12 2,972.65 
			 Total 234 394,646.26 253 11,477.68 238 72,304.22 
			  Note: Other IT equipment and peripherals includes items such as digital cameras, ansaphones, personal digital assistants, pagers, printers, charger units, etc.

Departmental Publications

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on the  (a) printing and  (b) design costs of producing publications in the latest year for which information is available.

Ben Bradshaw: The total expenditure on printing of publications, including brochures, leaflets, forms, reports, posters, handbooks, newsletters, folders, guidelines and disability versions was £3,701,321.01 in the financial year 2006-07.
	The Department does not record design costs separately from other aspects of information and publicity production. An examination of orders placed with the companies on the Department's design roster or with the Central Office of Information suggests that the total expenditure on design in 2006-07 was approximately £750,000.

Fair Trade Initiative

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to promote Fair Trade Fortnight 2008 amongst staff within his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has promoted fair trade fortnight 2008 to departmental staff on the Department's intranet home page as 'site of the week'.
	The Department also promoted fair trade fortnight as 'site of the week' on the homepage of the Department's intranet in 2006 and 2007.

Head Lice

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of trends in the incidence of head lice over the last five years;
	(2)  what advice is given to  (a) GPs,  (b) pharmacies and  (c) schools on head lice infestation;
	(3)  whether he plans to reintroduce regular inspections for head lice in schools.

Ann Keen: Information on the incidence of head louse infestation is not collected centrally. Our policy, which is shared by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, is to encourage a 'whole school approach'. This entails encouraging parents to check their children and other family members for head lice as need arises and arranging treatment where necessary, with advice and support from the local primary health care team. We have no plans to reintroduce regular inspections in schools.
	The Department has produced a leaflet containing guidance on the prevention and treatment of head lice. The leaflet is widely available from locations that include schools and general practitioner surgeries and on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/63/47/04116347.pdf

Health Services: Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was allocated to each central budget held at  (a) his Department and  (b) strategic health authorities in 2007-08; and what his Department's latest estimate of the outturn for each budget is.

Ben Bradshaw: Full year 2007-08 information on central budgets is not yet available but the 2007-08 departmental report which has a provisional publication date of May 2008, will provide a breakdown of the main budget lines.

Health Services: Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been allocated to each central budget held at  (a) his Department and  (b) strategic health authorities in 2008-09.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on 2008-09 allocations to each central budget held at the Department and at strategic health authorities is not yet available.

Health Services: Voluntary Organisations

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to encourage GPs to work more closely with voluntary organisations to provide patients with peer support and information.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is encouraging general practitioners (GPs) to work more closely with voluntary organisations to provide patients with peer support and information. The main way of delivering this is through support to GP practices as commissioners.
	World class commissioning (WCC) is designed to encourage primary care trusts (PCTs) to make decisions based on detailed, local needs assessments, using the views of front line primary care clinicians and with close collaboration with patients, the public, community partners and a range of service providers. Practice based commissioning is at the core of WCC and is the main medium for practices to feed in their views and ideas on how to improve services for their patients into PCTs commissioning strategies. This allows practices, using the needs assessment produced by the PCT and the local authority, to address the specific needs of their patients using a wide range of service providers, including voluntary organisations.
	The Department has also commissioned a number of primary care service frameworks to support PCTs in commissioning primary medical care services. For example the long term conditions framework includes a requirement for the provider to demonstrate multi-professional and integrated teams working across the whole care pathway, including voluntary and community organisations.

London Strategic Health Authority: Expenditure

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how the London Strategic Health Authority has spent its strategic capital in  (a) the current year to date and  (b) each of the previous three years; and whether any such capital has been spent in (i) Redbridge and (ii) Waltham Forest;
	(2)  how the London Strategic Health Authority has spent its operational capital in  (a) the current year to date and  (b) each of the previous three years; and whether any such capital has been utilised in (i) Redbridge and (ii) Waltham Forest;
	(3)  how the London Strategic Health Authority has spent the central budget capital for which it has taken a role in allocating in  (a) the current year to date and  (b) each of the previous three years; and whether any such capital has been utilised in (i) Redbridge and (ii) Waltham Forest.

Ben Bradshaw: The requested information is provided in the following tables.
	Capital expenditure in Redbridge and Waltham Forest is available for national health service organisations, rather than for the area. Information is therefore provided for relevant NHS organisations in the Redbridge and Waltham area, which are—Redbridge primary care trust (PCT), Waltham Forest PCT, Barking, Havering and Redbridge hospitals, NHS Trust, North East London Mental Health NHS Trust and Whipps Cross University hospital NHS Trust.
	
		
			  Table 1: 2007-08 year to date expenditure on capital in London PCTs 
			  £000 
			   All PCTs in London  Redbridge PCT  Waltham Forest PCT 
			 Central Budgets (Programme) 11,198 442 0 
			 Strategic 1,130 0 0 
			 Operational 8,070 0 0 
			 Locally funded 17,403 1,829 1,226 
			  Note: Locally funded includes expenditure funded by central budgets, strategic and operational capital. Further analysis is not available.  Source: Financial Information Management System (FIMS) returns quarter 3 2007-08. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Figures for 2004-05 - 2006-07 for all London PCTs and for Redbridge and Waltham Forest PCTs 
			 £000 
			   All PCTs in London  Redbridge PCT  Waltham Forest PCT 
			 2004-05 89,698 1,552 1,197 
			 2005-06 99,651 1,607 4,994 
			 2006-07 54,887 714 530 
			  Note: Figures prior to 2007-08 for PCTs cannot be analysed in the same detail as in Table 1.  Source: Audited summarisation schedules for the PCTs for 2004-05 to 2006-07. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Capital expenditure in London NHS trusts 
			  £000 
			   All London NHS Trusts  Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust  North East London Mental Health NHS Trust  Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 
			 2004-05 433,105 18,872 2,399 19,506 
			 2005-06 366,270 15,090 1,669 11,495 
			 2006-07 390,791 24,967 6,357 6,214 
			 2007-08 Q3 283,646 4,767 2,145 2,378 
			  Note s : 1.Figures prior to 2007-08 for NHS trusts cannot be analysed in the same detail as in Table 1. 2.The three trusts shown have sites within the Redbridge and Waltham Forest PCT areas, but the expenditure reported cannot be analysed as taking place in a particular site. 3.NHS foundation trusts are not included in the London total.  Source: Audited summarisation schedules for London NHS trusts 2004-05 to 2006-07. FIMS returns Quarter 3 year to date 2007-08.

NHS: Expenditure

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 1259-60W, on NHS expenditure, what the figures are for the area covered by the primary care trusts in  (a) Wiltshire,  (b) Hampshire,  (c) Northumberland,  (d) London,  (e) Gloucestershire and  (f) Oxfordshire.

Ben Bradshaw: ( )The following table shows expenditure per head by primary care trusts (PCTs) within the( )areas specified. There is also an element of expenditure accounted for by strategic health( )authorities (SHAs) but this cannot be determined for these areas, and is therefore not( )included.
	
		
			  £ per head 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Wiltshire 848.47 952.89 1,033.25 1,132.49 1,155.34 
			 Hampshire 839.87 954.52 1,072.39 1,151.81 1,181.98 
			 Northumberland 939.64 1,045.38 1,177.37 1,284.61 1,424.92 
			 London 1,070.14 1,174.57 1,320.37 1,406.14 1,415.80 
			 Gloucestershire 834.44 924.26 1,045.54 1,144.09 1,184.70 
			 Oxfordshire 859.64 957.08 1,054.70 1,088.94 1,134.23 
			  Notes: 1. Expenditure shown is the total expenditure of PCTs within the areas stated.  2. Expenditure shown does not include all national health service expenditure within the area.( )SHA expenditure cannot be included because it is not possible to identify it by geographical( )area. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by( )the Dental Practice Board and Prescription Pricing Authority, respectively, are excluded( )from the figures. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual( )health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts.  3. 2006-07 is the latest year for which information is available.  Sources:  Audited PCT summarisation schedules 2002-03 to 2006-07.  Office of National Statistics unweighted population figures.

NHS: Plastic Surgery

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of rectifying problems arising from private cosmetic treatments and surgeries in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS: Surgery

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of how many people have undergone an inappropriate surgical procedure in the national health service in each of the last 10-years.

Ann Keen: Information on people who have undergone an inappropriate surgical procedure in the national health service is not collected centrally.

NHS: Transport

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to require the Healthcare Commission to include the monitoring of private patient transport services provided for NHS patients in the annual health check.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1084W.

Patients: Nutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was to the NHS of treating patients with a  (a) primary and  (b) secondary diagnosis of (i) malnutrition, (ii) nutritional anaemias and (iii) other nutritional deficiencies in each year since 1997-98.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested.

Psychiatry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government have taken to increase the availability of psychological therapies in the NHS.

Ivan Lewis: In 2006 the Department launched its improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) demonstration site programme. Following the success of these sites, the Secretary of State announced investment in October 2007 for the provision of psychological therapies, for people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders, rising to £173 million by 2011. This is in addition to the £146 million invested in 2006-07 by the national health service on psychological therapies for people with a range of mental health conditions, including those with more severe and enduring mental health problems who are usually provided with services by specialist mental health teams. On 26 February 2008, I launched a national implementation plan to help the strategic health authorities to deliver the IAPT programme over the next three years.

Seroxat

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1215W, on Seroxat, if he will issue new guidance on prescribing Seroxat.

Dawn Primarolo: ( )Guidance on how to use paroxetine (brand name Seroxat) safely and effectively along with( )information on potential adverse effects is provided in the product information for( )prescribers (the summary of product characteristics) and in the patient information leaflet( )(PIL) which accompanies the medicine. These documents are authorised by the Medicines( )and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) at the time of licensing and updated( )through the life of the product as new information on potential adverse effects and benefits( )emerges.
	The Committee on Safety of Medicines Expert Working Group on the safety of selective( )serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has undertaken a comprehensive review of the safety( )of this entire class of drugs, including paroxetine. This review examined all available( )evidence. In December 2004 the Expert Working Group published its conclusions including( )that the balance of risks and benefits of all SSRIs in adults remained positive in their( )licensed indications. This is consistent with the view of the regulatory authorities in Europe( )and the United States that benefits of SSRIs outweigh the risk of adverse drug reactions and( )that they are effective treatment for depressive illness and anxiety disorders.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on the( )management of depression in primary and secondary care in December 2004. NICE is in the( )process of updating this clinical guideline with updated guidance expected in June 2009.( )NICE also published a clinical guideline on the identification and management of depression( )in children and young people in September 2005.
	Since the completion of the review by the Government's Expert Working Group on the( )safety of SSRIs and publication of its findings, updated prescribing advice has been issued( )in relation to Seroxat as new information has become available.

Streptococcus: Screening

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to assess the enriched culture method test for Group B Streptococcal infections.

Dawn Primarolo: ( )The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) guideline on antenatal( )care states that
	"pregnant women should not be offered routine antenatal screening for( )group B streptococcus (GBS) because evidence of its clinical effectiveness and cost( )effectiveness remains uncertain".
	This is consistent with advice from the UK National( )Screening Committee (UK NSC) and the Royal college of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists( )(RCOG).
	A proposal for NICE to appraise the use of an enriched culture medium for the detection of( )GBS carriage in a subset of pregnant women with clinical risk factors has been submitted( )on behalf of the UK NSC GBS coordinating group. NICE are currently considering this topic( )as part of a wider assessment of the approach they should adopt in assessing proposals( )for appraisals of diagnostics.

Strokes: East of England

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for stroke patients to receive a diagnostic brain scan in the East of England region.

Ann Keen: The new National Stroke Strategy, announced in December 2007, will modernise services and deliver the newest treatments for stroke across England. The Strategy emphasises the need to improve access to scans and stipulates that brain imaging should be performed in the next scan slot, or within 60 minutes of request during the out of hours period. We are asking all local stroke networks to ensure that any patient who could benefit from urgent care is transferred to an acute stroke centre that provides 24-hour access to scans and other specialist stroke care.
	We have fully costed the proposals in the strategy, and this will be reflected in the allocation that goes to primary care trusts for next year. In addition, we have committed new funds totalling £105 million over the next three years. Some of that new funding will be used to develop demonstration sites for acute services that will enable us not only to show a step change in service provision in those areas, but also to provide lessons that can be shared. The £105 million is central funding—on top of money going into the NHS to support this change.

Strokes: Health Services

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the management of communication impairments in hospital stroke units; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: ( )The new National Stroke Strategy, announced in December, will modernise services and( )deliver the best treatment for stroke across England. The strategy emphasises the need( )for prompt access to specialist acute stroke units, with a multidisciplinary team on hand to( )provide for all an individual's needs.
	Rehabilitation after stroke is effective. The strategy highlights the need for high quality( )specialist rehabilitation, including speech and language therapy, available as soon as( )possible after a stroke, following discharge, and for as long as it is needed. This includes( )access to speech and language therapy.
	We have fully costed the proposals in the strategy, and this will be reflected in the( )allocation that goes out to primary care trusts for next year. In addition, we have( )committed central funds totalling £105 million over the next three years. Some of that new( )funding will be used to train stroke specialist professionals, including allied health( )professionals. The £105 million is central funding—on top of money going into the( )national health service to support implementation of the strategy.

Strokes: Voluntary Organisations

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support his Department provides to voluntary sector organisations working with people with communication difficulties following stroke.

Ann Keen: ( )The Department is currently funding two Section 64 three-year projects that started in( )2007-08.
	Connect—the Communication Disability Network is the organisation leading on The( )Enabling New Connections project (now renamed Connect-ed). The project's overall aim is( )to explore and demonstrate how to forge a diverse, sustainable, self care community for( )people living with aphasia.
	Thrive is the charity that is leading on the Just 20! project (now renamed Just 30! project)( )The objectives of the project are to provide a simple pocket guide with information on the( )benefits of gardening and other step-by-step activities, which would support( )improvements in health for those recovering from a stroke or from heart conditions.

Translation Services

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of his Department's translation and interpreting work is outsourced through framework agreements with commercial providers; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: ( )Total expenditure on translation services for the calendar year 2007 was £141,352.03 and of this figure £54,036.53 (38.2 per cent.) was commissioned from companies on the( )Department's translation services roster. The remaining expenditure was purchased( )through the Central Office of Information who may provide the service in-house or from( )the commercial sector.

Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 28 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1450W, on translation services, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in cost between 2005 and 2006.

Ben Bradshaw: Levels of requests for translation vary from year to year with expenditure for 2006 being higher than that in either 2005 or 2007 (£141,352.03). A possible explanation for the rise in 2006 is that the major consultation document 'Your Health, Your Care, Your Say' was translated in that year at a cost of approximately £25,000.

Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 28 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1450W, on translation services, what the cost of such services was between 1st January and 31 December 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: The total cost of translation for the Department in the 2007 calendar year was £141,352.03.

TRANSPORT

A130: Accidents

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many serious road traffic accidents there were on the A130 between Sadlers Farm, Benfleet and Waterside Farm, Canvey Island in each of the last 10 years; how many such accidents resulted in  (a) injuries and  (b) fatalities in each such year; and how many of these accidents were caused by vehicles travelling (i) on to and (ii) off Canvey Island.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents which resulted in  (a) injuries (serious or slight) and  (b) fatalities on the A130 between the roundabout at Sadlers Farm, Benfleet and the roundabout at Waterside Farm, Canvey Island in 1997 to 2006 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of accidents 
			   (a) Accidents resulting in injuries   
			   Serious  Slight  (b)Accidents resulting in fatalities  Total 
			 1997 1 3 0 4 
			 1998 1 4 0 5 
			 1999 1 1 1 3 
			 2000 2 0 0 2 
			 2001 2 0 0 2 
			 2002 1 4 0 5 
			 2003 0 13 0 13 
			 2004 0 3 0 3 
			 2005 1 6 0 7 
			 2006 0 0 0 0 
			  Note: Accidents are classified according to the severity of the most severely injured casualty involved in the accident. 
		
	
	The numbers of these accidents by direction of the vehicles are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of accidents 
			   N/NW from Waterside Farm  S/SE from Sadlers Farm  Both directions  Direction not known 
			 1997 2 2 0 0 
			 1998 3 1 1 0 
			 1999 1 1 1 0 
			 2000 1 0 1 0 
			 2001 1 0 0 1 
			 2002 3 1 0 1 
			 2003 8 3 0 2 
			 2004 0 2 0 1 
			 2005 1 0 2 4 
			 2006 0 0 0 0

A130: Accidents

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age was of people killed in road traffic accidents on the A130 between Sadlers Farm, Benfleet and Waterside Farm, Canvey Island in the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There was only one fatality resulting from a reported personal injury road accident on the A130 between the roundabout at Sadlers Farm, Benfleet and the roundabout at Waterside Farm, Canvey Island in the last 10 years (occurring in 1999). Age information is not disclosed for single fatalities.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on air contamination levels in commercial aircraft.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 29 February 2008
	The Government do not want anyone to be at risk to their health when flying and is leading the world in research on this issue.
	To date the UK has (i) commissioned a major review of the evidence by the independent Committee on Toxicity, which reported on 20 September 2007; (ii) commissioned first functionality tests to identify equipment capable of capturing real time fume events from Cranfield university, which was published on 21 February 2008; (iii) commissioned a data analysis study of fume events and operational parameters; and (iv) is commissioning a second and more substantive phase of real time functionality tests with a number of participating airlines to assemble real time data on substances which may be in cabin air during fume events. This will take place later this year.
	The first functionality tests were evaluated though independent peer-review by scientists in UK, Europe and the USA. Future work in this area will be similarly peer-reviewed before publication, and a steering committee has been set up to oversee the next phase of our research in this area.

Biofuels

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research her Department has recently commissioned on the impacts of biofuels.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In recent years, the Department for Transport (DfT) has commissioned various pieces of biofuel-related research. The principal projects are listed in the following table, and the results are for the most part available via the DfT's website.
	
		
			   Title of research 
			 2002 Ethanol emissions testing 
			 2003 International resource costs of biodiesel and bioethanol 
			 2003 Emissions performance of vegetable oil fuel 
			 2003 Liquid Biofuels and Renewable Hydrogen to 2050: an assessment of the implications of achieving ultra-low carbon road transport 
			 2005 RTFO feasibility study (including a study of how best to manage the sustainability impacts of biofuels) 
			 2006-07 Preparation of detailed carbon and sustainability reporting guidance for transport fuel suppliers (including development of reporting methodology and carbon calculation tool) 
			 2008 The economic and environmental impacts of Government support for biodiesel produced from tallow 
		
	
	The Department has also part-funded and participated in a number of other biofuel-related research projects, over the same period, including for example a number of projects led by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. Other Government Departments including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform have also commissioned various pieces of research into the impacts of biofuels. Most recently, for example, DEFRA has commissioned a review of work on the environmental sustainability of international biofuels production and use, which is due to report shortly.
	The Department for Transport has recently invited the Renewable Fuels Agency to lead a review of the evidence around the impacts of biofuel production, particularly the indirect effects. Initial analysis is due to be available by early summer.

Dartford River Crossing: Concessions

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make all Essex and Kent residents eligible to register for the new Dartford River Crossing discount which is to be offered to residents of Dartford and Thurrock.

Rosie Winterton: Our proposal which was set out to the House in a written statement on 7 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 87-90WS, is that residents of the Dartford and Thurrock local authority areas should be eligible for discounts. We are now consulting on our proposals, and we will make public our conclusions after the consultation exercise has closed.

Departmental Equality

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions her Department has reached in fulfilment of the duty under section 3.111 of the statutory code of practice of the disability equality duty.

Rosie Winterton: The Department for Transport is currently reviewing its progress against the commitments given in its Disability Equality Scheme, as it is required to do under section 3.11 of the statutory code of practice of the Disability Equality Duty. Key progress to date has included consulting on major reform of the Blue Badge scheme and the introduction of concessionary fares on buses from 1 April 2008.

Departmental ICT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) personal digital assistants and  (c) laptop computers issued to departmental staff were reported (i) lost, (ii) missing and (iii) stolen in each year since 2001.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport was formed in 2002 and includes seven agencies, a shared service centre and the central Department, with a total staff of over 19,000. The figures provided here for lost, missing and stolen devices are for the entire Department including its agencies and shared service centre. The figures provided do not include losses or thefts where records are not available, where equipment has not been procured centrally, or where such losses or thefts were not reported. There is no distinction in the records between lost and missing devices. The number of those and of stolen mobile devices for each year since the Department's formation in 2002 is as follows.
	 2007
	15 mobile telephones were lost or missing and 5 were stolen,
	5 personal data assistants were lost or missing and 2 were stolen,
	6 laptop computers were lost or missing and 24 were stolen.
	 2006
	13 mobile telephones were lost or missing and 15 were stolen,
	1 personal data assistant was lost or missing and 5 were stolen,
	4 laptop computers were lost or missing and 9 were stolen.
	 2005
	6 mobile telephones were lost or missing and 22 were stolen,
	no personal data assistants were lost or missing and 1 was stolen,
	4 laptop computers were lost or missing and 14 were stolen.
	 2004
	13 mobile telephones were lost or missing and 24 were stolen,
	no personal data assistants were lost or missing and 1 was stolen,
	1 laptop computer was lost or missing and 23 were stolen.
	 2003
	9 mobile telephones were lost or missing and 20 were stolen,
	no personal data assistants were lost or missing and 1 was stolen,
	no laptop computers were lost or missing and 13 were stolen.
	 2002
	1 mobile telephone was lost or missing and 2 were stolen,
	no personal data assistants were lost or missing and 4 were
	stolen,
	no laptop computers were lost or missing and 7 were stolen.

Departmental ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of her Department's personal digital assistants have been  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in each of the last five years; and what the value of those items was.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport includes seven agencies, a shared service centre and the central Department, with a total staff of over 19,000. The figures provided here for lost, missing and stolen devices are for the entire Department including its agencies and shared service centre. The figures provided do not include losses or thefts where records are not available, where equipment has not been procured centrally, or where such losses or thefts were not reported. All hand held devices including BlackBerries and other palm or pocket PC type devices have been included, with unit values typically from £100 to £350. The number of lost and stolen personal data assistants in each of the last five years is as follows.
	 2007
	5 personal data assistants were lost or missing and 2 were stolen.
	The value of these items was £1,644.
	 2006
	1 personal data assistant was lost or missing and 5 were stolen.
	The value of these items was £1,724.
	 2005
	no personal data assistants were lost or missing and 1 was stolen.
	The value of this item was £300.

Departmental Paternity Leave

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department's rules on paternity leave refer to the rights of  (a) adoptive parents and  (b) parents whose child was stillborn after 24 weeks gestation to take such leave.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department's paternity rules apply to both adoptive parents and to parents whose child was stillborn after 24 weeks gestation.

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) value and  (b) start date was of each private finance initiative project approved by her Department in each of the last three financial years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The capital value and start date for every signed PFI project are recorded centrally on the Treasury website at:
	http://www.hmstreasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm
	Treasury's information was last updated in October 2007. Norfolk county council's street lighting project subsequently reached financial close in November 2007. The following table summarises the relevant information from Treasury's website with the addition of the Norfolk street lighting project:
	
		
			  Financial year (1 April to 31 March each year)  Commissioning body  Project name  Date of financial close (mm/yyyy)  Total capital value (£ million) 
			 2005-06 Transport for London DLR Woolwich Extension May 2005 177.00 
			  London Borough of Ealing Street Lighting July 2005 31.92 
			  Highways Agency NRTS September 2005 287.40 
			  London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth Street Lighting November 2005 17.22 
			  South Tyneside MBC Street Lighting December 2005 31.50 
			  Highways Agency A1 (M) Alconbury to Peterborough February 2006 128.00 
			  London Borough of Enfield Street Lighting March 2006 23.70 
			  London Borough of Barnet Barnet Lighting Services March 2006 27.77 
			  
			 2006-07 Leeds City Council Street Lighting April 2006 94.60 
			  Dorset County Council Dorset Street Lighting October 2006 43.07 
			  
			 2007-08 Derby City Council Derby Street Lighting PFI April 2007 38.43 
			  Norfolk Street Lighting PFI November 2007 41.58 
			  Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Street Lighting PFI August 2007 20.89

Departmental Property

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what property has been lost or stolen from her Department since 1997; and what the cost of replacement was.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport was formed in 2002 and includes seven agencies, a shared service centre and the central Department, with a total staff of over 19,000.
	The information requested is not held centrally. It has been estimated that, due to the broad scope of this question and the decentralised and devolved structure of the Department, to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
	I would also refer the hon. Member to the answer given today to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) (UIN 184341).

Departmental Property

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has created a Property Asset Register (PAR); and whether a PAR Board has been established.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport Property Assets Board (PAB) was established on 21 March 2006.
	Work is under way on developing a single property asset register. This follows a PAB recommendation to review property recording arrangements across the Department with the intention being to identify a pan-DfT solution that will link DfT data held on the Office of Government Commerce electronic Property Mapping Service (e-PIMS) to a geographical information system mapping base. This will enable viewing and interrogation of landed estate on electronic Ordnance Survey maps simultaneously with records on e-PIMS. The findings from this project will be published in due course.

Departmental Retirement

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what correspondence has been received from the trade unions representing staff in her Department on partial retirement; when her Department replied to this letter; and when her Department's management will meet the unions to discuss partial retirement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Trade unions initially wrote to the Human Resources Department in the centre Department about partial retirement on 3 December 2007. The centre Department responded to trade unions by e-mail on 12 February 2008 and wrote again on 28 February, following finalisation of the partial retirement policy and guidance by civil service pensions in mid-February. At present, there have been no meetings between trade unions and management in the centre Department. In the Department's agencies, the Highways Agency met with trade unions on 12 February and a meeting is planned for mid-March with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Discussions in other agencies will happen as partial retirement processes are developed.

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what documents her Department, associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies translate for people in the UK who do not speak English.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DFT and its Executive Agencies have translated the following documents:
	
		
			  DF T (Central) or Executive Agency  Title  Language/s 
			 DFT (Central) South West Airports Consultation (2003) Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) South East Airports Consultation (2003) Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Air Transport White Paper Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Consultation on Transport Energy Clean Vehicle Programme Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Consultation on Adding Capacity at London Heathrow Airport: summary and exhibition material Punjabi, Urdu, Somali, Bengali, Gujarati, Polish 
			 DFT (Central) Get Across Road Safety Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu, Turkish 
			 DFT (Central) DFT business cards various 
			 DFT (Central) Transport Matters (2005) Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Cleaner Motoring Leaflet - Drive Clean, Drive Cheaper Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Teach Road Safety (for parents) Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Consultation on Graduated Fixed Penalty and Deposit Scheme and Enforcement of Drivers Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Disability Equality Scheme Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Transport and Works Act Orders Brief Guide Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Urban Green Transport consultation paper Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency South East Pilot Polish, French, German, Spanish. 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Side Swipe materials Polish, French, German, Spanish. 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Vehicle Identity Check Scheme English, Welsh, Urdu, Polish, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Arabic. 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency MOT Certificate Welsh (Bilingual) 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Supported/related MOT documentation Welsh (Bilingual) 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency MOT 'Stuffers' and leaflets Welsh (Bilingual) 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Flexible Bus registration applications and supplementary forms Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Application to change or cancel details of a local service registration Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Local Service bus registration. Welsh drivers public inquiry call up letters Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Frequently asked questions about flexible bus registrations Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Traffic regulation conditions Welsh (Bilingual) 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency Fuel Consumption booklet Welsh 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Driving in GB as a visitor or a new resident. Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Vehicle Excise Duty Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Licensing and Registering your vehicle using a V55/4 or V55/5 issues in place of V959 Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Used Vehicle Imported into G.B. from a Non-European Member State Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, 
			 DFT (Central) Disability Equality Scheme Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Transport and Works Act Orders Brief Guide Welsh 
			 DFT (Central) Urban Green Transport consultation paper Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency South East Pilot Polish, French, German, Spanish. 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Side Swipe materials Polish, French, German, Spanish. 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Vehicle Identity Check Scheme English, Welsh, Urdu, Polish, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Arabic. 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency MOT Certificate Welsh (Bilingual) 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Supported/related MOT documentation Welsh (Bilingual) 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency MOT 'Stuffers' and leaflets Welsh (Bilingual) 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Flexible Bus registration applications and supplementary forms Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Application to change or cancel details of a local service registration Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Local Service bus registration. Welsh drivers public inquiry call up letters Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Frequently asked questions about flexible bus registrations Welsh 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Traffic regulation conditions Welsh (Bilingual) 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency Fuel Consumption booklet Welsh 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Driving in GB as a visitor or a new resident. Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Vehicle Excise Duty Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Licensing and Registering your vehicle using a V55/4 or V55/5 issues in place of V959 Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Used Vehicle Imported into G.B. from a Non-European Member State Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency How to Import your vehicle into G.B. Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Taking a vehicle out of the country Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Classical Chinese, Gujarati, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Clamping down on vehicle tax evasion Polish 
			 Highways Agency Regional quarterly journey planning leaflets French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Polish 
			 Driving Standards Agency Theory test pass or fail certificate Welsh 
			 Driving Standards Agency Postal application form for a practical driving test Welsh 
			 Driving Standards Agency Driving test appointment letter Welsh 
			 Driving Standards Agency Letter apologising for the cancellation of the practical driving test due to bad weather Welsh 
			 Driving Standards Agency Practical test pass certificate Welsh 
			 Driving Standards Agency Driving test report form, including a copy for issue to candidates after the test Welsh 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency "Stay SAFE at the seaside" -dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard Welsh 
		
	
	In addition to the above forms available to people who do not speak English, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency makes available in Welsh, all forms and documents for persons residing in Wales.
	The Highways Agency also offers a translation service on request for all its published documents. Details of the service are provided in each publication. During 2007-08 there were no foreign language requests.
	The Driving Standards Agency publishes the Welsh version of The Highway Code on behalf on the Department for Transport
	Information on translations by the Department's non-departmental public bodies is held by the bodies themselves. This information is not held centrally.

Driving Tests

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many multi-purpose driving test centres  (a) have been established,  (b) are in the process of construction and  (c) are awaiting the identification of a suitable site in each Government office region.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 4 March 2008
	The figures for England by Government office region are as follows:
	 London
	Two multi-purpose driving test centres have been established (Erith and Enfield), one site has been acquired subject to planning consent (Basildon), one site is in negotiation (Uxbridge) and a site for one centre has not yet been identified (Croydon).
	 South  East
	Four centres are under construction (Herne Bay, Burgess Hill, Farnborough and Fareham), two are in negotiation (Maidstone and Newbury), one site is in planning appeal (Poole) and suitable sites have not yet been identified for two centres (Aylesbury and Eastbourne).
	 South West
	Two centres have been established (Exeter and Gloucester), two are under construction (Swindon and Bristol), two sites are still in negotiation (Redruth and Taunton) and one site has been acquired subject to planning consent (Plymouth).
	 East of England
	Three sites have been established (Bedford, Ipswich and King's Lynn) and four are under construction (Cambridge, Kettering, Norwich and Peterborough).
	 West Midlands
	Two centres have been established (Shrewsbury and Birmingham), one site is in negotiation (Wolverhampton).
	 East Midlands
	Two centres have been established (Leicester and Rotherham), three are under construction (Nottingham, Burton and Lincoln).
	 Yorkshire and the Humber
	Two centres have been established (Hull and Scunthorpe); negotiations are in progress for a further three sites (Leeds, York and Keighley).
	 North West
	One centre has been established (St. Helens), two are under construction (Chester and Carlisle) and four sites are in negotiation (Atherton, Blackburn, Stoke and Stockport).
	 North East
	Two centres have been established (Gateshead and Darlington).

Driving Tests

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which planned multi-purpose driving test centres will not be opened before October 2008.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 4 March 2008
	There will be 23 multi-purpose test centres that are planned but will not be opened before October 2008. The centres concerned are:
	Blackburn
	Stockport
	Aylesbury
	Wolverhampton
	Newbury
	Eastbourne
	Aberdeen
	Stoke
	Croydon
	Haverfordwest
	Maidstone
	Uxbridge
	Taunton
	Keighley
	Leeds
	York
	Bathgate
	Bournemouth
	Fort William
	Bristol
	Dundee
	Lerwick
	Redruth

Galileo

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on their levels of support for the Galileo project.

Rosie Winterton: I held discussions on Galileo with European counterparts at last November's Transport Council. The subsequent Council conclusions confirmed member states' unanimous support for the programme.
	On 28 February my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport held a meeting with the French Transport Minister that included a discussion on the programme. Both countries reaffirmed their support for Galileo at this meeting.

Great Western Trains: Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions took place with the rolling stock company responsible for the Thames Valley commuter trains run by First Great Western prior to her written ministerial statement of 26 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 73-4WS, on First Great Western franchise on the intention to refurbish these trains.

Tom Harris: holding answer 29 February 2008
	The Secretary of State has held no discussions with the rolling stock company responsible for the Thames Valley commuter trains run by First Great Western.

Higher Civil Servants: Resignations

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of the Senior Civil Service in her Department resigned and received a payment on leaving the Civil Service in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004,  (c) 2005,  (d) 2006 and  (e) 2007.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of resignations from the Senior Civil service in the Department for Transport was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 2 
			 2004 2 
			 2005 1 
			 2006 8 
			 2007 10 
		
	
	No one who resigned received a payment on leaving the Civil Service.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Pay

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the  (a) grading levels and  (b) pay of staff of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency regularly reviews grading and reward structures and systems in accordance with public sector pay policy and best HR practice for the management of people and reward structures.

Motor Vehicles: ICT

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to publish the results of the consultation on in-vehicle information systems.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department intends to publish a summary of the results of the initial consultation on in-vehicle information systems this spring. It will be available on the departmental website and copies will be sent to the Libraries of both Houses.

Public Transport: Sight Impaired

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of enforcement procedures under Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 relating to the rights of blind or partially sighted people to travel with their guide dogs.

Rosie Winterton: Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 enables regulations to be made requiring all new land-based public transport vehicles to be accessible to disabled people. Regulations have been made for trains, buses and coaches (used on local and scheduled services), though there are no specific regulations which make provision for guide dogs. However, Part 5 of the Act also places a duty on licensed taxi drivers, operators and drivers of licensed private hire vehicles in England and Wales to carry guide, hearing and other prescribed assistance dogs in their taxis and to do so without charge. We have made no specific assessment of the effectiveness of enforcement procedures.

Railways: Pensions

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the findings of the Railway Pensions Commission's final report.

Tom Harris: I welcome the Railway Pensions Commission's final report and appreciate the work they have done. This report raises some important and complex issues. It is initially for the rail employers and unions to take these forward, and they will be entering into detailed discussions shortly. The Department for Transport is also considering the Commission's findings, but it is too early for me to comment on them.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government plans to take to reduce levels of disruption caused by road works.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have taken a number of steps to reduce the disruption caused by works in the highway. These include a duty on local highway authorities to manage the expeditious movement of traffic on their network and to consider the impact on neighbouring networks. Three sets of Regulations come into force this spring to strengthen the powers of authorities to control works in the highway by statutory undertakers, mainly utility companies.
	The Highways Agency (HA) puts considerable effort into reducing the disruption caused by planned works. The HA uses the latest techniques to reduce the time works takes and provides information to the public of possible delays, which allows them to choose a different route.

Trains: Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the potential advantages in carbon reduction terms from the use of hybrid diesel and battery trains.

Tom Harris: The Department for Transport has commissioned a study, to be published in March, which identifies potential carbon savings through the use of hybrid diesel high speed trains. Further work is being commissioned to identify the benefits of hybrid technology for trains operating urban and rural services.

Transport for London: Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what Transport for London's debt is; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Transport for London's financial status, including levels of debt at any given point of time, is the responsibility of the London Mayor.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Carbon Emissions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what tonnage of carbon dioxide was offset by the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in respect of  (a) his Department's and  (b) the Prime Minister's Office's air travel in 2006-07.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	The tonnage of carbon dioxide offset by the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in respect of the Cabinet Office's air travel in 2006-07 was 1,631 tonnes.

Departmental Expenditure Limits

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 34-37WS, on the departmental expenditure limit (2007-08) for what reasons there was a drawdown on the reserve for V matched funding.

Phil Hope: As set out in the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 19 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 35-37WS, there was a draw down on the reserve of £4,729,000 for v matched funding.
	The youth volunteering organisation v is able to draw down on Government match funding on a pound for pound basis, when they secure funding from the private sector, as set out in Budget 2005. This match fund is held in the HM Treasury Reserve to be drawn down by the Office of the Third Sector on behalf of v.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what  (a) (i) procedures and (ii) guidance his Department has provided and  (b) recommendations his Department has made across Government on the secure disposal of electronic and hard copy media by Government departments and agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Manual of Protective Security (MPS) sets out the policies that Departments should apply across all areas of security including the secure disposal of data.
	On 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179, the Prime Minister announced that he had asked the Cabinet Secretary, with the advice of security experts, to work with Departments to ensure that all Departments and all agencies check their procedures for the storage and use of data. The publication of an interim report was announced on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 98WS. A final report is expected in spring 2008 which will outline steps taken during the course of the work.

Office of the Third Sector: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the Office of the Third Sector's expenditure in 2007-08; and what budget has been set for the Office for 2009-10.

Phil Hope: The outturn for the Office of the Third Sector for 2007-08 will be available only when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2008 summer recess. The budget for the Office of the Third Sector can be found in the Spring Supplementary Estimate 2007-08 published on the HM Treasury website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./media/D/A/springsupps0708_cabinet_office.pdf.
	The 2009-10 programme budget is as set out in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1084W.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement by the Prime Minister of 12 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 303-4, on Afghanistan, how many civilian helicopters leased by NATO are in use in Afghanistan; and whether any are operating in  (a) Helmand,  (b) Kandahar,  (c) Zabul,  (d) Uruzgan,  (e) Ghanzi,  (f) Pakitka,  (g) Khost and  (h) Paktia provinces.

Des Browne: NATO has a contract for a civilian contractor to transport by air up to 13,000 kg per day of cargo in the four largest regional command areas of Afghanistan. The contract is for a service, rather than for a number of capital assets, and therefore the number of helicopters or fixed wing aircraft used to deliver this service can and does vary on a day-to-day basis.
	The contract requires a capability to operate from the four main regional hubs outside Kabul to forward operating bases and other locations throughout Afghanistan. The regional hubs are: Kandahar in the south; Herat in the west; Mazar e Sharif in the north; and Bagram in the east. The southern hub covers as required the provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, and Uruzgan. The eastern hub covers the provinces of Ghanzi, Pakitka, Khost and Paktia.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many  (a) ambush and  (b) improvised explosive device attacks have been carried out against international security assistance force troops in Helmand Province in each month in 2007;
	(2)  how many  (a) ambush and  (b) improvised explosive device attacks were carried out against international security assistance force troops in Helmand Province in each month in 2007.

Des Browne: The following table records the number of attacks (direct and explosive devices) instigated by enemy forces on ISAF forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan for each month requested. I am withholding details of these attacks as the information would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of the armed forces.
	
		
			  2007  Number of attacks 
			 January 65 
			 February 92 
			 March 149 
			 April 82 
			 May 132 
			 June 120 
			 July 125 
			 August 131 
			 September 125 
			 October 108 
			 November 132 
			 December 151 
		
	
	This data is based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis for collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operation environment.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many attacks were made on British forces in Southern Afghanistan in  (a) May 2006,  (b) June 2006,  (c) July 2006,  (d) August 2006 and  (e) September 2006, with reference to the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 62W, on Afghanistan peacekeeping operations;
	(2)  how many attacks have been made on British forces in Afghanistan in each month since October 2006.

Des Browne: The following tables shows the number of attacks (direct or using mines/improvised explosive devices) instigated by enemy forces on ISAF forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in each of the months requested. It is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, separately to identify attacks directed exclusively at British forces given the multinational nature of forces operating in Helmand Province.
	
		
			   Number of  a ttacks 
			  2006  
			 May 3 
			 June 18 
			 July 133 
			 August 141 
			 September 150 
			 October 49 
			 November 32 
			 December 53 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 65 
			 February 92 
			 March 149 
			 April 82 
			 May 132 
			 June 120 
			 July 125 
			 August 131 
			 September 125 
			 October 108 
			 November 132 
			 December 151 
			   
			  2008  
			 January 71 
		
	
	These data are based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis for collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operation environment.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contacts were recorded between British forces and insurgents in Southern Afghanistan in each month since May 2006, with reference to the answer of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, column 61-2W, on Afghanistan peacekeeping operations.

Des Browne: The number of direct engagements (regardless of the instigator or the means of instigating the incident) between ISAF forces and insurgents in Helmand Province per month since May 2006 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of contacts 
			  2006  
			 May 4 
			 June 18 
			 July 140 
			 August 180 
			 September 177 
			 October 77 
			 November 48 
			 December 64 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 110 
			 February 156 
			 March 260 
			 April 178 
			 May 208 
			 June 178 
			 July 189 
			 August 170 
			   
			 September 197 
			 October 149 
			 November 161 
			 December 202 
			   
			  2008  
			 January 106 
		
	
	It is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, separately to identify attacks exclusively involving British forces given the multinational nature of forces operating in Helmand Province.
	These data are based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis for collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operation environment.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) suicide bombings and  (b) improvised explosive device attacks were recorded against (i) (A) NATO and (B) British forces and (ii) Afghan civilians in each month since May 2006 in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: It is not possible further to break down these statistics in the way requested as in some instances it is not possible to determine against whom a particular attack was targeted.
	The numbers of suicide attacks recorded in Afghanistan are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of suicide attacks 
			  2006  
			 May 6 
			 June 3 
			 July 8 
			 August 13 
			 September 19 
			 October 13 
			 November 13 
			 December 9 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 12 
			 February 8 
			 March 14 
			 April 13 
			 May 15 
			 June 12 
			 July 22 
			 August 11 
			 September 12 
			 October 11 
			 November 4 
			 December 8 
		
	
	I am withholding details of the number of improvised explosive attacks as the information would or would be likely, to prejudice the capability, effectiveness and capability of the armed forces.
	These data are based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis for collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operation environment.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current status is of Taliban leader Naim Atallah who was captured in Helmand province in August 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 17 September 2007,  Official Report, column 2169W.

Air Force: Military Bases

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review the provision of military airfields in the UK.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the previous answer I gave on 28 January 2008,  Official Report, column 30W.

Armed Forces: Dismissal

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers have been subject to manning control since April 2006; and how many of those had  (a) 12 years and  (b) 15 years service.

Bob Ainsworth: None.

Armed Forces: Dismissal

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers were subject to manning control after 12 years service in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: None.

Armed Forces: Dismissal

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers in the  (a) 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment and  (b) Royal Logistics Corps were (i) subject to and (ii) discharged under manning control in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: None.

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many single living accommodation units for service personnel are of standard  (a) 1,  (b) 2,  (c) 3 and  (d) 4 in each country in which UK forces are deployed.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 4 February 2008
	 The standard of single living accommodation (SLA) is assessed by grade for charge (GfC)—a measure of the physical condition of the accommodation and other relevant environmental and scaling factors. SLA bed-spaces in each country in which UK forces are deployed are at the following GfC:
	
		
			   Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade 3  Grade 4 
			 Germany 2,356 1,494 4,186 8,989 
			 Cyprus 67 14 534 882 
			 Falklands/Ascension Islands 14 — — 6,105 
			 Gibraltar 325 24 41 — 
			 Rest of World 34 62 87 2,014 
		
	
	The low grade given to SLA in the South Atlantic Islands for example, reflects the remote location and environmental factors rather than the actual condition of the accommodation which is considered reasonable.
	It should be noted that a large proportion of overseas SLA is only used during operational deployments. Although much of this accommodation is G4fC, residents are not charged for it.
	In Cyprus, some 650 bed-spaces will be upgraded by 2012 for use on a permanent basis. In addition, there are ongoing programmes of improvement work in all the above locations including the Hired Accommodation Revitalisation Programme project, which aims to replace or upgrade the entire hired estate in Germany over the next five years.
	Over the next decade the MOD will spend over £8 billion on accommodation, including some £3.1 billion on bringing accommodation up to the top condition. This will include the delivery of some further 30,000 new or improved SLA bed-spaces by 2013.

Armed Forces: Labour Turnover

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel left the armed forces to join private military companies in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: Information on the number of personnel who have left the armed forces to join private military companies is not held centrally. Total outflow and voluntary exit rates from the trained strength, broken down by Officers and Other Ranks, can be found in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 5—'Trained Outflow to Civil Life'. Monthly figures show the number of personnel who have outflowed in the previous 12 month period. TSP 5 is published monthly and all publications can be found at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp5/tsp5tab5.html
	Copies of TSP 5 are available in the Library of the House and also at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk

Armed Forces: Pay

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen and women's pay was paid late in each of the last five financial years.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 13 December 2008
	The number of service personnel who were paid late in each of the last five financial years were as follows:
	
		
			  Financial  y ear  Number 
			 2002-03 29 
			 2003-04 26 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 474 
			 2006-07 773

Armed Forces: Suicide

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many suicides there were among British armed services personnel in each of the last 10 years for which records are available, broken down by  (a) sex,  (b) age,  (c) regiment and  (d) service in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: A total of 213 coroner-confirmed suicides or open verdict deaths among regular service personnel occurred during the 10-year period 1997 to 2006 (excluding any violent or unnatural deaths that have not yet been fully investigated by the coroner). Details which can be released without incurring potential disclosure of individual identities include:
	Of the 213 coroner-confirmed suicide and open verdicts, eight were female service personnel;
	A breakdown of suicide and open verdicts during this period, by age and by year is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Table 1: Suicide and open verdict deaths: UK regular armed forces, by age and by calendar year, 1997 to 2006 
			  Number 
			   All  <20 years  20-24  25-29  30-34  35-39  40+ 
			 All 213 31 53 46 35 30 18 
			 1997 26 4 6 4 5 4 3 
			 1998 19 2 2 8 1 3 3 
			 1999 27 4 6 4 7 4 2 
			 2000 36 2 12 12 3 5 2 
			 2001 15 5 3 1 4 2 0 
			 2002 15 3 4 2 2 3 1 
			 2003 26 4 8 8 5 0 1 
			 2004 19 2 4 2 6 4 1 
			 2005 20 3 5 4 0 4 4 
			 2006 10 2 3 1 2 1 1 
		
	
	Information on suicide and open verdicts by regiment (or other service equivalent) could be disclosive of individual identities. For this reason, the information cannot be provided.
	A breakdown of suicide and open verdicts during this period by service and by year is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Table 2: Suicide and open verdict deaths: UK regular armed forces, by service and by calendar year, 1997 to 2006 
			  Number 
			   All  Naval service( 1)  Army  RAF 
			 All 213 34 141 38 
			 1997 26 4 17 5 
			 1998 19 2 13 4 
			 1999 27 6 17 4 
			 2000 36 6 22 8 
			 2001 15 2 11 2 
			 2002 15 4 11 0 
			 2003 26 3 16 7 
			 2004 19 2 15 2 
			 2005 20 5 11 4 
			 2006 10 0 8 2 
			 (1) Includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines. 
		
	
	Information for 2007 will be released in DASA's National Statistics Notice "Suicide and open verdict deaths among UK regular armed forces personnel" on 31 March.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many instances of breakdown and maintenance damage have been recorded in the  (a) Vector and  (b) Bulldog vehicle since it first entered service.

Bob Ainsworth: Based on records from the Equipment Failure Reporting System (EFRS), since the Vector vehicle entered service, approximately 119 Equipment Failure Reports (EFRs) have been raised. For the Bulldog vehicle there have been approximately 228 EFRs.
	The EFRS is the mandated system for the user to report equipment failures, such as accidental damage, maintenance related failures and breakdowns, as well as equipment failure of any item fitted to the vehicle. It does not incorporate the results of subsequent investigations and therefore does not differentiate between what might later prove to have been operator error or damage sustained as a result of operations. Nor does this data record the severity of a failure which might have no discernible impact on operational capability or safety.
	These figures do not include any instances of equipment failure that have not been formally reported by the user.
	Bulldog and Vector fleets are currently making a significant contribution to current operations.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department's order for Ridgeback vehicles will be placed.

Bob Ainsworth: The preferred Ridgeback vehicle has been identified. Commercial negotiations are continuing and we will make further announcements in due course.

AWE Burghfield: Floods

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2138W, on AWE Burghfield: floods, and page 22 of the Health and Safety Executive Nuclear Newsletter, November 2007 issue, on what date  (a) the Health and Safety Executive nuclear installation inspectorate was satisfied that emergency arrangements were in place and  (b) operational activities resumed.

Bob Ainsworth: Following the flooding at AWE Burghfield in July 2007, contingency emergency arrangements put in place were considered by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) to be adequate at all times for the activities being undertaken. NII inspected the interim facilities and witnessed an emergency exercise on 24 October, and agreed that nuclear operations could recommence on 5 November 2007.

Ballistic Missile Defence

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications of missile defence systems for the UK's defence industry.

Des Browne: UK defence industry has the opportunity to participate in the work to develop missile defence systems. The MOD supports this effort through the work of the UK Missile Defence Centre, which provides assistance and advice to UK industry.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for the change in size of the EUFOR military force in Bosnia-Herzegovina from November 2007 to February 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: The size of the EU military force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR ALTHEA) has reduced from 2,566 at the end of November 2007 to 2,232 at the end of February 2008. The reductions resulted from the progressive transfer of responsibilities from EUFOR ALTHEA to Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities and the attendant closure of former camps at Mostar used by French forces and Rajlovac used by German and Italian forces.

BOWMAN Combat Radio System

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what anti-jamming capability the  (a) Bowman and  (b) Clansman communications system has.

Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding the information requested as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Challenger Tanks: Repairs and Maintenance

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tracks needed replacement on Challenger 2 main battle tanks in each of the last six months; how many spare tracks there were available in theatre in each such month; and how many spare tracks there are available.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of tracks issued across the entire fleet in each of the last six months and the number of full vehicle sets of spare track available in Iraq in the last six months are:
	
		
			   Number of tracks issued across the entire fleet  Spare tracks available in Iraq 
			  2007   
			 September 8.75 3 
			 October 6.5 3 
			 November 10.25 3 
			 December 1 3 
			  2008   
			 January 6.75 3 
			 February 9.75 3 
		
	
	The number of tracks which needed replacement is not held centrally. A Unit does not stipulate why it is demanding track or part of a track, which might be requested to be either fitted to a vehicle or for stock. A full set of Challenger 2 track is made up of 160 links and is accounted for/stored in sections of five links joined together, called a wrap. A Unit can demand a full vehicle set or a single wrap if it requires only spare links.
	There are currently 95 spare tracks available in storage.

Cyprus: Military Bases

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1490W, on Cyprus: military bases, how many individuals were  (a) charged with and  (b) convicted of poaching under the Protection and Management of Game and Wild Birds Ordinance 2004 in each of the last three years.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to my right hon. Friend.

Defence Equipment and Support: Recruitment

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of commercial experience is required of candidates for each grade of post at the Defence, Equipment and Support headquarters at Abbeywood.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 4 March 2008
	The level of commercial experience required by candidates will depend on the specific requirements of the job.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the savings target is for each top level budget holder in his Department in 2007-08.

Bob Ainsworth: Under the spending review 2004 efficiency programme, the MOD is required to achieve £2.83 billion of cumulative input and output efficiency savings by the end of 2007-08. We are on course to overachieve against this target.
	These savings are delivered by departmental change programmes and by implementing the force capability changes set out in 'Delivering Securities in a Changing World: Future Capabilities', published in July 2004, rather than by targets on Top Level Budget (TLB) holders. Further details can be found in the MOD Efficiency Technical Note which is available online at:
	http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/3F55E01546B54E14B086C399208B9575/0/mod_etn_051205.pdf
	As part of the 2007 Financial Planning Round, further efficiency savings targets for 2007-08 were agreed with individual TLB holders as follows:
	
		
			  TLB  Saving (£000) 
			 Fleet 10,639 
			 Land Forces 31,541 
			 Air Command 12,765 
			 Central TLB 4,272 
			 Defence Estates 3,032 
			 CJO 2,031 
			 Total 64,280 
		
	
	Efficiency savings across the Department are reinvested to fund high priority areas of expenditure, such as support to operations and our personnel, including through sustained investment in accommodation.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made in its zero-based budget review under the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Bob Ainsworth: The MOD completed its zero-based budget review as part of the comprehensive spending review 2007, the outcome of which was announced in July 2007.

Departmental Data Protection

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to protect the security of personal data held by his Department, with particular reference to interference by militant extremists; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence regulations require that personal data are protected in accordance with legal statute and the Government's own internal security guidance. The Ministry of Defence is fully engaged in the Cabinet Office led Data Handling Review and we have confirmed to Robert Hannigan's team our committed to meeting the implementation dates he has set. In addition, I have also invited Sir Edmund Burton, Chairman of the Information Assurance Advisory Council, to examine the adequacy of the measures taken to protect personal data held by the MOD. Depending on his findings, I will consider what further measures may be required.

Departmental Databases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what databases are  (a) owned and  (b) maintained by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Empty Property

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the  (a) cost to the public purse and  (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies and other public bodies for which he has responsibility in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Details of all properties that have been empty for all or part of the last 12 months and their associated costs are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The MOD only assesses the sale value of properties when they come forward for disposal.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer) of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 964, on departmental Freedom of Information (FOI), if he will give a breakdown of all identifiable sources of the FOI requests received by his Department.

Derek Twigg: Freedom of Information (FOI) requests received by the Ministry of Defence are broken down by source as follows:
	Academics
	Businesses
	Media and Journalists
	MPs/Peers
	Private Individuals
	Not Specified
	Non-profit organisations
	Other
	However, it is not necessary for a person making a request under the Freedom of Information Act to declare their occupation or background.

Departmental Homeworking

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in his Department have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: 169 civilian staff are recorded on the Department's central system (HRMS) as home workers. It is possible that under historic reporting arrangements there may be significantly more whose home working is not recorded centrally. 44 new formal home working arrangements were approved in the year from February 2007 to January 2008. Staff may also work from home on an occasional basis, but such arrangements are not recorded centrally.

Departmental Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the salary range is for each pay band of civil servants in his Department.

Derek Twigg: The salary range for each pay band of civil servants in the Ministry of Defence is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Pay Band  Minimum  Maximum 
			 SCS1 56,100 116,000 
			 SCS2 81,600 160,000 
			 SCS3 99,960 205,000 
			 B1 50,598 68,048 
			 B2 41,528 54,488 
			 C1 31,650 40,515 
			 C2 24,725 33,253 
			 D 19,315 26,626 
			 El 14,721 23,534 
			 E2 12,694 19,315 
			 Skill Zone 1 12,694 16,249 
			 Skill Zone 2 14,012 17,936 
			 Skill Zone 3 15,089 21,853 
			 Skill Zone 4 18,844 24,725 
		
	
	With the exception of the Senior Civil Service, the figures in the table are for the main body of civilian staff covered by the MOD annual pay award. The figures exclude staff in Trading Funds, those whose pay is determined by analogue to outside counterparts (e.g. MOD police), locally engaged civilians overseas and many highly specialist grades linked to the MOD main pay award.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Spring Supplementary Estimates 2007-08, if he will break down, by sub-head, his Department's revised provision in (i) near cash and (ii) non-cash terms.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the anticipated operating and non-operating appropriations in aid are for each year of the comprehensive spending review; and whether they were included in the near cash resource and capital departmental expenditure limits given in his answer of 10 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1893W, on Departments: public expenditure.

Bob Ainsworth: Anticipated operating and non-operating appropriations in aid are published in Departmental Estimates. Operating and non-operating appropriations in aid were included in the 2006-07 outturn figures quoted in my answer of 10 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1893W.

Departmental Repairs and Maintenance

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will break down by sub-heading the payment of £55 million per year to the main contractor for his Department's main building.

Derek Twigg: I am unable to break down the annual payment for the provision of fully serviced office accommodation for Main Building and Old War Office under the PFI Contract as the contract is not constructed in this manner. The contract payments include a service element and the repayment of the bank debt under the terms of the PFI credit agreements.
	The £55 million annual payment figure is derived from the £1.65 billion project approval figure (based on a constant price estimate i.e. excluding inflation) spread equally over 30 years.

Gurkhas: Dismissal

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers from the Gurkha Regiment were discharged under manning control in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: None.

HMS Southampton

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current status is of HMS  (a) Southampton and  (b) Exeter; and when a decision will be taken on their out of service dates.

Bob Ainsworth: HMS Exeter and Southampton are currently in operational service with the Royal Navy. On present plans, they are due to be withdrawn from service during 2009.

Iraq: Helicopters

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what enhancements to helicopter capabilities his Department is making in response to experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 4 March 2008
	 As a result of experience on operations, we are taking steps to increase the robustness of our existing helicopter fleets, such as the purchase of the six Danish Merlin helicopters and the conversion of the eight Chinook Mk3 helicopters to a support helicopter role. We have carried out extensive modifications to improve the operational capability of our helicopters in response to Urgent Operational Requirements, including fitting new rotor blades to some of our Sea Kings to improve their performance in hot and high conditions, enabling their deployment to Afghanistan. We are also uplifting the number of flying hours we will deliver each month to commanders on the ground in Afghanistan from our Chinook and Apache fleets.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to provide free Wi-Fi for front-line troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: It is not possible at this time to provide a date of when free Wi-Fi will be provided to personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, it is my intention to inform the House on progress soon.

Iraq: Resettlement

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government has provided air transport for Iraqi citizens formerly employed by the Ministry of Defence granted leave to enter the UK from the Middle East; and whether there are plans to provide such transport in the future from  (a) Iraq and  (b) third countries.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	No Iraqi citizens formerly employed by the Ministry of Defence have yet been granted indefinite leave to enter the UK from the Middle East under the criteria for the Locally Engaged Iraqi staff assistance scheme. Therefore the Government have not provided air transport to assist their movement to the UK.
	All formerly employed staff who are accepted for resettlement under the Gateway Protection Programme, will be provided with travel to the UK on commercial airlines from third countries in the Middle East.
	A small number of current staff have been made redundant since 7 August 2007 and have opted to seek indefinite leave to enter the UK. Assistance with transport and flights from Iraq to the UK will be provided for these staff and their dependants.

Joint Rapid Reaction Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which brigade forms the Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF); whether it is fully equipped; whether the JRRF is deployed; and when the future JRRF will take over.

Bob Ainsworth: The Army commitment to the Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF) is normally centred on the Spearhead Land Element (SLE), the Lead Airborne Task Force (ABTF) and the High Readiness Mechanised or Armoured Brigade. Due to 16 Air Assault Brigade's impending deployment to Afghanistan the ABTF was replaced by the Small Scale Focused Intervention Battlegroup (SSFIBG) on 15 February 2008 and will not be re-established until January 2009.
	The Army elements of the JRRF that are currently held at high readiness are the SLE and SSFI BG. The SSFI BG is based on a Light Infantry Role Battlegroup, provided by The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland until 19 May 2008. The SLE is based on 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles until 30 March 2008.
	For non-discretionary JRRF tasks, equipment holdings exist to ensure mission success. However, some equipment might need to be re-apportioned from supporting training for operations or from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, depending on the task, to ensure that appropriate quantities are available.

Military Aircraft: Expenditure

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total expenditure was on transport aircraft  (a) procurement and  (b) maintenance by his Department in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: The RAF air transport fleet is comprised of C-17, Hercules C-130J/K, Tristar, VC10, BAE 125 and BAE 146 aircraft.
	Between 1996 and 2000, the MOD introduced 25 Hercules C-130J aircraft into service with the RAF. The total procurement cost for these aircraft was US$ 1.4 billion; however, the costing profile is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Two additional C-17 aircraft are due to be delivered to the RAF later this year. I am withholding information on procurement costs as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
	A number of areas within the Department incur maintenance expenditure on the RAF's air transport fleet. The financial information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The figures provided in the following table are the logistic support costs that can be directly attributed to the fixed wing aircraft fleets in the financial years for which costs are readily available.
	The table does not include contract lease costs for three commercially owned military registered Agusta A109E helicopters which are used in the VIP transport role, as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2002-03 218 
			 2003-04 229 
			 2004-05 207 
			 2005-06 210 
			 2006-07 249 
			  Notes: 1. Costings for financial years prior to 2002-03 are incomplete and are not included. 2. These figures include the lease cost of four C-17 aircraft. Disclosure of the value of the lease would prejudice commercial interests. 3. Defence Equipment and Support staff costs are not included. 4. Costs have been rounded to the nearest million.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times helicopters of the  (a) Army Air Corps,  (b) Fleet Air Arm and  (c) Royal Air Force were cannibalised for spare parts in each year since 2001, broken down by helicopter type.

Bob Ainsworth: The numbers of cannibalisations for helicopters operated by the Army Air Corps, Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force are shown in the following table. The figures shown are for the Forward Fleet—i.e. aircraft with the front-line commands and utilised for operational deployments or other tasks.
	
		
			  Airframe  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 1) 
			  Army
			 Apache AH — — 80 72 154 295 251 
			 A109 — — 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gazelle — — 298 223 94 35 11 
			 Lynx 7 and 9 — — 428 567 461 304 191 
			 
			  RN
			 Sea King 4/6 — — 98 103 159 181 126 
			 Sea King 5 63 51 75 118 82 91 90 
			 Sea King 2/7 45 72 33 75 78 88 37 
			 Merlin 1 253 370 466 338 389 455 407 
			 Lynx 3 181 176 120 119 110 93 64 
			 Lynx 8 197 97 83 54 71 105 48 
			 
			  RAF
			 Sea King 3/3A 262 278 193 205 242 185 89 
			 Chinook 2/2A — — 496 1021 571 276 165 
			 Merlin 3 — — 416 240 246 396 265 
			 Puma — — 647 676 222 168 81 
			 (1) Figures shown are as at January 2008 
		
	
	Figures for Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) operated airframes prior to financial year 2003-04 are not available because the system used to capture and store this data was not introduced until 2003.
	Cannibalisation is an accepted short-term measure employed by the armed forces around the world to ensure maximum numbers of equipment are available. It is often the only course of action where replacement items cannot be sourced in the required timeframe.
	The figures shown in the table refer to individual instances of cannibalisation and not the number of aircraft involved. All instances of cannibalisation are authorised and undertaken in accordance with clearly defined regulations. The term 'cannibalisation' can refer to the removal of single or small numbers of components, of any size. It does not necessarily refer to the wholesale utilisation of capital components or airframes.

Military Bases: Devonport

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans for Devonport Naval Base are over the next 10 years.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 28 February 2008
	The Naval Base Review considered the future of all three Naval Bases, including Devonport, and concluded that the most effective means of supporting the Royal Navy is to retain and optimise the three Bases.
	A number of maritime change programmes are currently in progress that will have an impact on all three Bases. These include work resulting from the Naval Base Review decision, changes to equipment and platform support arrangements and our evolving strategic partnership with industry. Each is designed to ensure that waterfront activity is delivered in an efficient and sustainable manner.

Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contacts there were between British forces and anti-coalition militia in each month since October 2006.

Des Browne: For Operation Herrick, Afghanistan, I have nothing to add to my answer of today.
	For Operation Telic, Iraq the number of recorded attacks on coalition forces in Multi-National Division (South East) per month since October 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of  c ontacts 
			  2006  
			 October 179 
			 November 181 
			 December 259 
			  2007  
			 January 226 
			 February 337 
			 March 245 
			 April 224 
			 May 336 
			 June 376 
			 July 401 
			 August 191 
			 September 22 
			 October 29 
			 November 30 
			 December 28 
			  2008  
			 January 37 
			 February 32 
		
	
	It is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, separately to identify attacks exclusively involving British Forces.
	These figures are an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis for collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operation environment.

QinetiQ: Land

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value of land disposals by Qinetiq has been in each of the last three years.

Des Browne: When QinetiQ was vested as a company in 2001, it was required to purchase its assets from the Government. Consequently, the receipts from the sale of land go directly to the company and, therefore, the details of disposals are a matter for them.
	However, claw-back arrangements are in place to ensure that the taxpayer benefits directly from any substantial subsequent increase in value of the land once sold. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 27 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1577W.

Royal Naval Hospital Haslar: Operating Costs

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the operating costs of Royal hospital Haslar were in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: The Royal hospital Haslar has been administered since 2001 under a partnering arrangement with Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust (PHT). It currently provides a limited range of clinical facilities, predominantly for NHS civilian patients. It also continues to provide training and experience for well over 100 military doctors and nurses. Operating costs falling to the MOD include certain staff costs, utilities, estate maintenance and works, equipment, services provided under contract, and medical supplies. MOD gross costs were as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2003-04 18.8 
			 2004-05 16.1 
			 2005-06 17.7 
			 2006-07 17.1 
			 2007-08 12.9 
			  Notes: 1. The costs of PHT civilian staff employed on the site and other costs incurred directly by PHT are not included.  2. Military personnel costs are not included. Many military personnel employed at Haslar also have duties elsewhere and their costs are not readily disaggregated.  3. PHT makes a financial contribution towards meeting the MOD's costs, in acknowledgement of the support provided towards meeting its own outputs.  4. Costs are final outturn figures, except for 2007-08, which is a forecast. During the current year many MOD civilian staff are being progressively transferred to PHT, with a corresponding transfer of responsibility for costs.

Surface Ship Support Alliance

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the Surface Ship Support Alliance.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 29 February 2008
	The Surface Ship Support (SSS) Project is part of the wider Maritime Change Programme (MCP) that aims to deliver an affordable and sustainable maritime enterprise, and is an important element of the Defence Industrial Strategy.
	The SSS Project is currently exploring a wide range of support options to deliver sustainable, efficient and affordable support to legacy complex warships. One of these is the formation of an alliance between the MOD and the two major surface ship support contractors (Babcock Marine and Fleet Support Limited). While this approach is currently the leading option, no final decisions have yet been taken.
	Under the alliance approach, several batches of upkeep packages have already been successfully agreed by MOD and industry. By giving industry visibility of future plans, it is able to plan ahead and adapt their capabilities to meet future requirements.

Taliban

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of who and what the Taliban are.

Des Browne: The Taliban remains a collection of predominantly Pushtun groups and individuals, motivated by a number of different factors, including extreme ideologies, tribal sympathies and personal ambitions.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Admiralty House

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1158-9W, on Admiralty House, 
	(1)  what minor works were undertaken;
	(2)  what the cost was to the public purse of the minor works.

Meg Munn: In line with normal procedure a one-off deep clean of the property was undertaken at change over of tenants. This included cleaning of lights, curtains, nets and windows, at a cost of £3,319.67, including value added tax (VAT).
	A pelmet, tracking and curtains for one window was supplied and installed at a cost of £1,030.16, including VAT.
	Two bedrooms, an adjacent corridor and one bathroom were repainted and a washer dryer, a tumble dryer, fridge freezer and mixer taps were supplied and installed. The cost of these works and equipment was £9,322.92, including VAT.

Bombs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government plans to take to encourage the international community to support the ban of cluster munitions.

Kim Howells: In his Guildhall speech on 12 November 2007, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated the Government were working
	"internationally for a ban on the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of those cluster munitions which cause unacceptable harm to civilians."
	We will continue our efforts both in the Oslo Process and in the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which includes users and producers of cluster munitions who have remained outside the Oslo Process, to ensure that the humanitarian objective we and many others share is fulfilled. The next CCW meeting will take place in Geneva from 7-11 April and the next Oslo Process meeting will take place in Dublin from 19-30 May.

British Overseas Territories: Administration of Justice

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what competence the Government has in respect of  (a) the appointment,  (b) the suspension and  (c) the dismissal of any chief justice in an overseas territory; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: holding answer 27 February 2008
	All British Overseas Territories except Anguilla, Montserrat, the Virgin Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the British Antarctic Territory and the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) have their own Chief Justice. Anguilla, Montserrat and the Virgin Islands are under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, which has a Chief Justice. Cases from South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the British Antarctic Territory are heard by the Chief Justice of the Falkland Islands, and in the SBAs Senior Judges are appointed when required.
	In most Territories which have their own Chief Justice, the appointment is the responsibility of the Governor, acting on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen in right of the Territory. In a few Territories, e.g. St. Helena and the Falkland Islands, the Chief Justice is appointed by the Governor acting on instructions given by Her Majesty The Queen in right of the Territory through a Secretary of State. This, in practice, means the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	In general, suspension and dismissal of the Chief Justice in those Territories which have one is the responsibility of the Governor of the Territory, acting as Her Majesty The Queen's representative in right of the Territory.

British Virgin Islands

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State plans to visit the British Virgin Islands.

Meg Munn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to him on 28 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1812W.

Canada: Diplomatic Service

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) diplomatic and  (b) commercial staff were employed in the British High Commission in Ottawa in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Management Information system only goes back to 2005. Figures prior to this date are not available without incurring disproportionate cost. It is not possible to breakdown the numbers by category of employment. Staff numbers fluctuate due to officers leaving and arriving at post. There are no UK-based commercial staff in Ottawa.
	Staff numbers are shown as follows.
	1 April 2005—17
	1 April 2006—17
	1 April 2007—15
	1 January 2008—17

Canada: Diplomatic Service

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of maintaining the British High Commission in Ottawa was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Kim Howells: The cost of maintaining our High Commission in Ottawa in the financial year 2006-07 was as follows:
	Locally Engaged Staff pay budget: £1.8 million for 75 staff and some seasonal relief staff
	Administration Budget: £950,000
	The cost of maintaining our High Commission in Ottawa in the financial year 2007-08 is as follows:
	Locally Engaged Staff pay budget: £1.9 million for 80 staff and some seasonal relief staff
	Administration Budget: £1.1 million
	All utility costs stand at approximately £123,000 for the office building, High Commissioner's Residence and staff properties.

Caribbean: Royal Visits

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department negotiated the hire of the Leander for use by HRH Prince of Wales during his visit in March 2008 to the Caribbean; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Department for Transport has overall responsibility for the funding of official travel for members of The Royal Family. This is administered by The Royal Travel Office in Her Majesty The Queen's Household.

Caribbean: Royal Visits

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official gifts HRH Prince of Wales will be presenting during his official visit to Caribbean countries in March 2008; and whether the cost of such gifts is to be met from public funds.

Meg Munn: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will present official gifts to the hosts and those who are playing a significant part in the organisation of the visit. The nature of these gifts will follow long-standing precedents, but it would be inappropriate to specify them before their presentation to recipients. The cost of official gifts will be met from official funds.

China: Family Planning

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he discussed  (a) the Chinese One Child Policy and  (b) forced abortion with the authorities during his visit to China; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not discuss the One Child Policy or forced abortions with Chinese authorities during his visit. He did, however, discuss the overall human rights situation with Foreign Minister Yang.
	The One Child Policy was discussed during the recent round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in Beijing in January. We do not dispute China's right or need to implement family planning policies, but we do believe they should be based on the principles of consent and not coercion. We will continue to encourage the Chinese to meet international human rights standards at every appropriate opportunity, both bilaterally and through the EU.

Committee for Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries are represented on the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; what the terms of reference for the Committee are; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Countries are not represented on the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Committee Members are nationals of States Parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and serve on the basis of their personal expertise. They do not represent governments. However, consideration is given to equitable geographical distribution, the representation of different cultures and principal legal systems. A list of the current members of the Committee can be found at:
	http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/membership.htm
	The Committee's functions are set out in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Essentially they are to monitor States Parties' implementation of the Convention and make recommendations on how this can be improved. Monitoring is done primarily through a public reporting and examination process. States Parties to the Optional Protocol to the Convention have also given the Committee competence to receive complaints from individuals alleging that their rights under the Convention have been violated. The UK is party to the Protocol as well as the Convention.
	CEDAW monitors implementation of the whole Convention. The Convention concerns the elimination of discrimination against women in a wide range of areas, including in respect of health care. While the Convention itself does not explicitly mention abortion or reproductive rights, Articles 12 and 14 refer to access to health care services, including those related to family planning. It is possible that a Committee might address issues relating to abortion and/or reproductive rights when examining a State Party's implementation of the Convention. But this is for the Committee to decide.
	In addition to making recommendations to individual States Parties on implementing the Convention, the Committee is also able to issue general guidance to all States Parties focussing on specific aspects of the Convention. These are produced periodically in the form of non-binding "General Recommendations". A number of these General Recommendations relate to health matters. In particular, General Recommendation 24 from 1999, relates to "Women and Health". This does address, among other things, issues relating to sexual and reproductive rights.

Committee for Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the British representative is on the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; what his or her career has been to date; when he or she was selected and by whom; what process was followed in his or her selection; where the post was advertised; how many persons applied for the position; how many were short-listed for interview; how candidates were appraised; what criteria were adopted for the appointment; whether candidates' views on  (a) abortion,  (b) reproductive rights and  (c) contraception were sought; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: There is no UK representative on the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
	CEDAW's 23 members are elected by the States Parties to the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. States Parties nominate candidates from among their own nationals, but members serve in a personal capacity and do not represent governments. The Convention states that CEDAW should consist of experts of "high moral standing and competence in the field covered by the Convention".

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which private finance initiative projects have been approved by his Department in each of the last three financial years, broken down by  (a) value and  (b) start date.

Meg Munn: The capital value and start date for every signed Private Finance Initiative project are recorded centrally on HM Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm.

Fairtrade Initiative

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to promote Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 among staff within his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is promoting Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 among staff within the Department by featuring the Fairtrade website as the FCO intranet's "website of the week" and drawing attention to Fairtrade Fortnight.

France: National Security

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the French Commission currently undertaking a review of French defence and national security, and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: UK and French officials meet regularly to discuss defence and security issues, both bilaterally and in the context of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the EU. In addition, senior officials in the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office held discussions with M. Mallet, the Head of the French Commission, during his visit to the UK in October 2007.

Homosexuality

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken with its international counterparts to end the criminalisation of homosexuality in other countries.

Meg Munn: The Government have adopted an international policy of prioritising work on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights where there is complete illegality, or there are moves to introduce criminalisation, and seek ways to lobby for decriminalisation.
	The then Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney) and I, as the then Deputy Minister for Women and Equality, issued a joint statement pledging our support for worldwide protests against homophobia planned to mark the International Day against Homophobia on 17 May 2007.
	The UK has long been at the forefront of encouraging the EU to speak out in favour of promoting and protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. At the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in September 2007, the EU delivered a speech that condemned the fact that relationships between adults of the same sex are criminal in two participating states, namely Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
	In the past year we have also lobbied in support of the UN-Economic and Social Council continuing to grant consultative status to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender non-governmental organisations. We also lobbied to persuade Rwanda not to criminalise same sex acts in the revised penal code, and Nigeria not to outlaw advocacy in favour of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.
	My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, intends to raise this issue when he visits the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
	We also raise this issue bilaterally. For example, our high commissioner in Singapore went to see Singapore's Attorney General on 26 October 2007 about various human rights issues, including the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

Drinking Water

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on mineral water in each of the last three years.

Meg Munn: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only by examining individual invoices. This could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Sri Lanka: Press Freedom

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Sri Lanka on the freedom and security of journalists working in that country.

Kim Howells: In April 2007, our then High Commissioner in Colombo discussed the issue with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollogama. During that meeting, the High Commissioner made clear that the UK would continue to defend fundamental rights and values such as media freedom.
	Our High Commission in Colombo meets journalists on a regular basis and responds to any requests for assistance. We are aware of the recent report by "Reporters Without Borders" which catalogues serious violations of press freedom in Sri Lanka. The UK will continue to work with national and international partners to support media freedom.

Sudan: Capital Punishment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of people executed in Sudan in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Our Embassy in Khartoum receives occasional reports about executions in Sudan from non-governmental organisations such as the Sudanese Organisation Against Torture (SO AT). SO AT reported that five individuals were executed on 24 February as punishment for murder. We do not, however, have figures relating to the past five years.
	Through the EU-Sudan Human Rights Dialogue the UK lobbies the Government of Sudan to suspend the death penalty with a view to abolishing it. The Sudanese Government has told us that it had suspended the use of the death penalty for pregnant or lactating women. We understand that the sentence would be carried out once the child reached the age of two.

Sudan: China

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Chinese government on the situation in Darfur.

Meg Munn: During his visit to China on 25-29 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reinforced the messages agreed between Ministers and the Chinese Special Envoy for Africa during his visit to the UK on 21-22 February.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary agreed with the Chinese Foreign Minister and Premier Wen on the need to press the Government of Sudan and rebels to end the violence in West Darfur; to facilitate the rapid and effective deployment of UN-African Union Mission in Darfur; and on the need for progress on the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, in his speech at Peking University on 29 February, called on the Governments of Sudan and Chad to stop supporting rebels in each other's countries, and underlined the need for the Government and all parties in Sudan to respect their responsibilities under international law; and to engage constructively in peace talks.

Western European Union

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the role and mission is of the Western European Union; what assessment he has made of its impact in European security; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: All the operational aspects of the Western European Union (WEU), including its capacity to plan and conduct crisis management operations, were transferred to the EU following the establishment of the European Security and Defence Policy in 1999. The only remaining active component is the WEU Parliamentary Assembly which provides collective inter-parliamentary oversight of European defence issues.

World War II: Genocide

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take at the United Nations on the statements made by the President of Iran on denial of the Holocaust; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government have consistently condemned President Ahmadinejad's statements questioning the Holocaust, and has made clear that these statements are wholly unacceptable, abhorrent, and have no place in civilised political debate. In December 2006, under the guise of an academic exercise, the Iranian Government hosted a conference to which they invited a number of well-known Holocaust deniers. The aim of the conference was to cast doubt on whether the Holocaust took place in an attempt to undermine Israel's existence. Former Prime Minister, the right hon. Tony Blair, publicly condemned the conference in the strongest terms and I summoned the Iranian Ambassador to express the Government's anger at the event. In January 2007 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning without reservation any denial of the Holocaust. The UK strongly supported this resolution. Iran was the only country that chose to disassociate itself from the consensus shared by all other UN members on this issue.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage businesses to offer apprenticeship places.

David Lammy: The Government report "Apprenticeships: Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All" available at
	http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/world_class_ apprenticeships.pdf
	sets out a range of measures to encourage many more employers to expand their apprenticeship numbers and to join the programme. These include new financial incentives; a national matching service; and new flexibilities so that employers can bring their own qualifications into apprenticeship frameworks.
	Over the past decade, we have more than doubled the number of young people and adults starting apprenticeships in England. Over the period to 2020 we project that apprenticeship starts will increase to over 250,000 per year.

Central Government: Copyright

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many copyrights held by the Government have been surrendered for the benefit of humanity in the last 10 years; and what his policy is on surrendering Government-held copyrights in the field of genetics for the public good.

Ian Pearson: The Government keep no central records of Crown copyright works it generates. Government policy on the use of Crown copyright is the responsibility of the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI), whose general policy is to permit most Crown copyright to be re-used under a click-use licence at nil cost, in order to encourage re-use.

Educational Institutions: Copyright

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of copyrights held by teaching establishments within his responsibilities and  (b) the revenues which accrue annually from such copyrights.

Ian Pearson: Copyright is an unregistered right which arises automatically. As a signatory to the Berne Convention, the UK is precluded from keeping mandatory registers of copyright works. Consequently no central records are kept. UK teaching establishments are responsible for managing any copyright protected works they generate and for tracking any revenue generated by commercial exploitation. Collecting information centrally on revenues generated in this way would entail disproportionate cost.

Research: Finance

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, what factors he takes into account in planning future allocations of research funding.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury has not yet announced a future spending round. If any such announcement is made, I will then consider the priorities for the allocations of research funding.

Teachers: Qualifications

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many teachers of  (a) mathematics and  (b) physics in schools currently hold a degree in the subject in which they teach.

Jim Knight: Information is available for England from the Secondary Schools Curriculum survey (SSCSS) which is an occasional sample survey last conducted in 2002 and 2007. 2007 figures will be published in spring 2008.
	The following table provides the number of full-time teachers employed in maintained secondary schools by the highest post A level qualification held in the subjects they teach in 2002 from SSCSS.
	
		
			  Teachers in Service: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schools—Highest post A level qualifications( 1)  held in the subjects they teach( 2)  to year groups 7-13, England 
			   Percentages  
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other Qual.  No Qual.  Total teachers (Thousand) 
			 Mathematics 42 ± 3 15 ± 2 9 ± 2 7 ± 1 2 ± 1 24 ± 2 28.2 
			 English 51 ± 3 15 ± 2 7 ± 1 6 ± 1 1 ± 1 20 ± 2 29.4 
			 
			 Combined/General science 62 ± 3 12 ± 2 10 ± 2 4 ± 1 1 ± 1 11 ± 2 28.3 
			 Biology(4) 71 ± 5 7 ± 3 11 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± 1 7 ± 3 5.6 
			 Chemistry(4) 72 ± 5 6 ± 3 12 ± 4 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 7 ± 3 5.2 
			 Physics(4) 63 ± 6 11 ± 4 15 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± - 8 ± 3 4.7 
			 Other sciences(4) 10 ± 6 4 ± 4 5 ± 4 - ± - - ± - 80 ± 8 1.6 
			 
			 French 54 ± 3 7 ± 2 10 ± 2 3 ± 1 2 ± 1 23 ± 3 16.0 
			 German 47 ± 5 6 ± 3 13 ± 4 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 30 ± 5 6.9 
			 Spanish 37 ± 7 8 ± 4 19 ± 6 - ± - 3 ± 2 33 ± 7 3.6 
			 Other modern languages 18 ± 8 - ± - 9 ± 7 - ± - 3 ± 4 71 ±10 1.4 
			 
			 Design and technology(5) 26 ± 3 20 ± 3 7 ± 2 21 ± 3 2 ± 1 24 ± 3 20.9 
			 ICT(5, 6) 13 ± 2 6 ± 1 8 ± 2 2 ± 1 3 ± 1 69 ± 3 18.9 
			 Other/Combined technology(5) 30± 1 0 13 ± 8 16 ± 7 18 ± 9 2 ± 3 20 ± 9 1.6 
			 
			 Business studies 30 ± 5 11 ± 4 9 ± 3 4 ± 2 3 ± 2 43 ± 5 6.5 
			 Classics 33 ± 7 - ± - 2 ± 4 2 ± - - ± - 63 ± 7 1.0 
			 History 57 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 6 ± 2 - ± - 23 ± 3 13.7 
			 Religious education 22 ± 3 8 ± 2 8 ± 2 4 ± 1 2 ± 1 57 ± 4 14.2 
			 Geography 53 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 5 ± 2 1 ± 1 25 ± 3 13.7 
			 Other social studies 35 ± 5 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 2 ± 1 - ± 1 54 ± 6 4.9 
			 Combined arts/humanities/ social studies 5 ± 3 4 ± 2 7 ± 3 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 83 ± 5 5.3 
			 
			 Music 59 ± 5 15 ± 4 5 ± 2 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 13 ± 4 6.3 
			 Drama 25 ± 4 10 ± 3 12 ± 3 6 ± 2 2 ± 1 45 ± 5 8.1 
			 Art and design 54 ± 4 10 ± 3 7 ± 2 9 ± 3 1 ± 1 20 ± 4 9.3 
			 Physical education 25 ± 3 31 ± 3 6 ± 2 13 ± 2 2 ± 1 22 ± 2 21.4 
			 Careers education 2 ± 2 1 ± 2 3 ± 3 4 ± 4 3 ± 4 87 ± 7 1.5 
			 PSHE(6) 1 ± - 1 ± - 2 ± 1 1 ± - - ± - 95 ± 1 61.4 
			 General studies 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 95 ± 2 7.1 
			 Citizenship 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 94 ± 2 9.0 
			 Other — — — — — — 32.8 
			 
			 Total(2, 7) 33 ± - 10 ±- 7 ± - 5 ± - 1 ± - 44 ± - 388.4 
			 '-' = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree) to right (Other Qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under Degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6) Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) 'Other' not included in total percentages.  Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002.

Teachers: Recruitment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which five teaching disciplines faced the most shortages in recruitment in each of the last 10 academic years.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not available in the format requested.
	The following table provides the full-time classroom teacher vacancy rates in local( )authority maintained secondary schools by subject in England 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			  Full-time classroom teacher vacancy( 1)  rates in local authority maintained secondary schools in England by subject. January of each year. Coverage: England 
			   Vacancies as a percentage of teachers in post( 2)  Number of vacancies 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2007 
			 All vacancies 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.7 1.5 1.4 1.2 0.9 09 0.7 0.7 1,130 
			 Main teaching subject(3) 
			 Mathematics 0.4 0.7 0.8 1.2 2.1 1.9 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.1 200 
			 Information Technology 0.4 0.7 0.9 1.3 2.8 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 90 
			 All sciences(4) 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 1.1 0.9 0.9 210 
			 Languages 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.7 1.5 1.3 1.1 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.4 60 
			 English 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.7 1.8 1.5 1.3 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.7 140 
			 Drama 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.7 1.7 1.5 1.1 0.9 0.9 0.5 0.6 20 
			 History 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.2 20 
			 Social sciences 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.7 10 
			 Geography 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.6 0.9 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.3 20 
			 Religious education 0.4 0.8 0.5 0.7 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.0 0.9 0.8 40 
			 Design and technology 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.7 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.5 0.6 90 
			 Commercial/business studies 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.5 1.3 1.0 1.4 0.8 1.0 0.7 0.6 20 
			 Art, craft or design 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.3 20 
			 Music 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.8 1.7 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.4 0.7 30 
			 Physical education 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.5 60 
			 Careers 1.0 1.8 0.9 1.4 4.3 2.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 0 
			 Other main and combined subjects 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.2 1.7 2.2 18 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.3 100 
			 Total vacancies (numbers) 650 860 840 1,140 2,530 2,350 1,940 1,530 1,440 1,230 1,130  
			 (1) Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration). Includes vacancies being filled on a temporary basis of( )less than one term, See notes to editors 11 to 12 for further details. (2 )Teachers in post include full-time qualified regular teachers in (or on secondment from) maintained secondary schools, plus the secondary portion of full-time regular( )divided service, peripatetic, advisory and miscellaneous teachers. (3 )The number of teachers in post by main teaching subject is estimated using the Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey (1996 survey for years 1997 to 2001( )and 2002 survey for years 2002 to 2005). (4 )The distinction between single science vacancy rates and combined science has been discontinued.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because of rounding.( ) Source:  618g survey

Teachers: Training

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many mathematics and physics teachers graduated in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not collected centrally.

Teaching Methods

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what guidance his Department provides to  (a) teacher-training institutions and  (b) schools on the use of Brain Gym with pupils.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	We do not prescribe the design of Initial Teacher Training programmes or give guidance on any specific training aids that may be used to deliver those programmes. Programme design is at the provider's discretion, as long as it complies with the requirements for Initial Teacher Training, set out in guidance from the Training and Development Agency for Schools.
	We do not provide guidance or advice to schools on the use of Brain Gym.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Homeworking

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people in his Department have been able to work from home in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: ( )Central records of the number of home workers are not collated and are( )available only at a disproportionate cost. Arrangements are agreed( )between line managers and individuals.

Departmental Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) has recruited a total of 12 staff over the age of 55 during the last three years. The number of such staff recruited, for each year since 2005, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of staff recruited over the age of 55 
			 2005 5 
			 2006 5 
			 2007 2 
			 Total 12

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government have provided to developing countries for water and sanitation improvements since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: ( )DFID statistics on water and sanitation disbursement cover the period from 2000( )onward and were £165 million in 2000-01; £152 million in 2001-02; £146 million in( )2002-03; £225 million in 2003-04; £240 million in 2004-05; and £242 million in 2005-06.( )A detailed breakdown of DFID support for the water sector over the last five years can( )be found in the two reports titled 'Financial Support to the Water Sector 2002 to 2004' and( )'Financial Support to the Water Sector 2004 to 2006', prepared for DFID by WS Atkins( )Plc. Both have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Fairtrade Initiative

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to encourage the supply of fair trade products to the UK market.

Gareth Thomas: ( )The UK Government are a strong supporter of the growing fair and ethical( )trade sector. The Department for International Development has provided( )almost £12 million to promote fair and ethical trade initiatives since 1997.( )We recently announced a new £1.2 million grant to the Fairtrade Labelling( )Organisation to scale up Fairtrade labelling, particularly in the poorest( )countries.
	We are also keen to encourage the private sector to do more to proactively( )source goods from developing countries. To support this DFID has( )launched a £2 million Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund (FRICH). This( )will support innovative business models that will help bring millions of( )farmers into profitable fair trading relationships with UK shoppers.

Stabilisation Unit

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people have been deployed by the Stabilisation Unit in  (a) Nepal,  (b) Iraq,  (c) Afghanistan,  (d) Lebanon and (e) Sudan.

Douglas Alexander: The Stabilisation Unit has, since its establishment, deployed a mix of its own staff, individual experts from its database and individuals from consultancy firms. The total number of personnel who have been deployed to each country as at 29 February 2008 are:
	
		
			  Country  Number 
			  (a) Nepal 4 
			  (b) Iraq 14 
			  (c) Afghanistan 36 
			  (d) Lebanon 5 
			  (e) Sudan 16 
		
	
	Each person deployed to a country has been counted only once even if they were deployed to the same country on a number of occasions.

Stabilisation Unit: Finance

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the £269 million stabilisation aid fund will be allocated for use by the Stabilisation Unit.

Douglas Alexander: The Stabilisation Unit is performing a number of roles in respect of the stabilisation aid fund (SAF):
	Helping to design the criteria and allocation mechanisms for the SAF;
	Advising on priorities for SAF funding in Afghanistan and Iraq;
	Helping to design some specific SAF programmes, and;
	Providing civilian experts to deliver some SAF programmes.
	The exact allocation of responsibility for managing SAF funds has yet to be determined and will depend on the final design of the programmes. Stabilisation Unit core funding will not be a charge to the SAF.

Television

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many plasma television screens have been purchased by his Department, and at what cost, in the last 24 months.

Shahid Malik: ( )DFID has purchased 78 plasma screens in the past 24 months, at a cost of( )£117,018. All are in use in DFID's worldwide video-conferencing network,( )and none have television tuners.

TREASURY

Defence: Expenditure

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the comprehensive spending review 2007, if he will place in the Library a copy of the methodology and calculations that provide the basis for his statement that defence expenditure will rise by 1.5 per cent. in real terms between 2008-09 and 2010-11.

Yvette Cooper: Details of the Ministry of Defence settlement are given Table D14 in Annex D8 of the 2007 pre-budget report and comprehensive spending review document, which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/C/B/pbr_csr07_annexd8_143.pdf
	The relevant deflators can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/6/8/GDP_Deflators_20071220_NA_update_circ.xls

Delivery Unit

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff work in the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit; and what the budget for the unit was for 2007-08.

Yvette Cooper: The Prime Minister's Delivery Unit has an agreed headcount for 2007-08 of 33, and a budget of £3.639 million.

Departmental ICT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) personal digital assistants and  (c) laptop computers issued to departmental staff were reported (i) lost, (ii) missing and (iii) stolen in each year since 2001.

Angela Eagle: The records do not distinguish between lost and missing items. The remainder of the information is presented in the following table:
	
		
			   Item  Lost and missing  Stolen 
			 2001 Mobile Telephones - - 
			  PDAs - 1 
			  Laptop Computers - 2 
			 2002 Mobile Telephones 1 - 
			  PDAs 11 - 
			  Laptop Computers - 22 
			 2003 Mobile Telephones 3 - 
			  PDAs - 2 
			  Laptop Computers 3 6 
			 2004 Mobile Telephones 2 1 
			  PDAs - 1 
			  Laptop Computers 2 2 
			 2005 Mobile Telephones - - 
			  PDAs - 1 
			  Laptop Computers 1 2 
			 2006 Mobile Telephones - - 
			  PDAs 1 - 
			  Laptop Computers 1 1 
			 2007 Mobile Telephones - 1 
			  PDAs 1 1 
			  Laptop Computers - 5

Departmental Internet

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department will  (a) follow the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) guidelines and  (b) display ICRA's label on the websites for which it is responsible.

Angela Eagle: The departmental website is compliant with Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) guidelines and displays ICRA's label on the home page.

Departmental Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people over the age of 55 have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years.

Angela Eagle: In the last three calendar years HM Treasury recruited the following number of people over the age of 55:
	
		
			   Number of employees 
			 2007 10 
			 2006 7 
			 2005 3

Departmental Property

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what property has been lost or stolen from his Department since 1997; and what the cost of replacement was.

Angela Eagle: Records show the following items have been lost or stolen from the Department since 1997:
	
		
			   Item  Number  Estimated r eplacement  c ost (£) 
			 1997 Desktop computers 3 5,700 
			  Laptop computers 2 4,506 
			  Telephone answering machines 2 200 
			 
			 1998 Laptop computer 1 2,264 
			 
			 1999 Desktop computer 1 2,000 
			  Laptop computers 2 4,000 
			 
			 2000 Laptop computer 1 2,233 
			  Disk drives 2 300 
			  Projector 1 900 
			 
			 2001 Laptop computers 2 3,360 
			  Personal organiser 1 50 
			 
			 2002 Desktop computers 2 3,944 
			  Laptop computers 22 22,000 
			  Computer monitors 3 1,425 
			  Safedial cards 5 4,000 
			  Projector 1 950 
			  Personal organisers 11 2,200 
			  CD writer 1 100 
			  Mobile phone 1 50 
			 
			 2003 Desktop computer 1 1,000 
			  Laptop computers 9 10,935 
			  Safedial cards 2 1,600 
			  Personal organisers 2 800 
			  Mobile phones 3 150 
			 
			 2004 Laptop computers 4 4,564 
			  Safedial cards 6 4,800 
			  Personal organiser 1 200 
			  Mobile phones 3 150 
			 
			 2005 Laptop computers 3 2,817 
			  Safedial cards 8 6,400 
			  Personal organiser 1 200 
			 
			 2006 Laptop computer 2 1,400 
			  Personal organiser 1 200 
			 
			 2007 Mobile phone 1 50 
			  Personal organiser 2 400 
			  Laptop computers 5 3,500 
			  Safedial cards 3 2,400

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the policy of British jobs for British workers will affect his Department's recruitment policy.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 3 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2207W, by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson).

Economic Growth

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of  (a) economic growth and  (b) inward investment was in each of the English regions in each year for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 5 March 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the rate of economic growth and inward investment for each of the English regions in each year for which figures are available. (191355)
	ONS currently publish regional Gross Value Added (GVA). These data are published in Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS) regions and data for the Government Office regions of England (NUTS1 data) run from 1989 to 2006 on a consistent basis. These data are at current prices, therefore the effects of inflation are not taken into account.
	ONS do not publish regional inward investment data.
	The year on year percentage growth rate of the level of GVA for the time period 1990-2006 are presented in tables A and B.
	
		
			  Table A: Gross value added annual percentage growth rate, 1990 to 1998 
			   1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998 
			 United Kingdom 8.7 4.4 4.3 5.1 5.7 5.3 6.5 5.8 6.0 
			 North East 8.1 5.2 4.8 4.1 4.6 4.2 4.0 4.1 4.3 
			 North West 8.2 4.0 4.2 4.6 5.2 4.5 4.7 5.0 5.4 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 8.2 4.5 3.9 4.1 5.1 5.7 6.0 5.6 5.2 
			 East Midlands 8.3 4.2 4.3 4.6 5.9 5.8 6.2 5.9 5.1 
			 West Midlands 8.5 3.7 4.3 5.1 6.3 5.5 5.5 6.0 5.6 
			 East of England 9.4 3.8 4.2 4.7 5.5 5.3 6.0 6.2 7.0 
			 London 8.5 5.5 4.8 6.1 5.0 3.7 7.2 7.7 8.8 
			 South East 9.1 4.8 4.6 5.4 6.2 6.3 7.4 7.8 8.2 
			 South West 9.4 4.1 4.2 5.3 5.6 5.7 7.3 6.6 6.3 
			 England 8.7 4.5 4.4 5.1 5.5 5.2 6.3 6.4 6.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Gross value added annual percentage growth rate, 1999 to 2006 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 United Kingdom 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.4 6.0 5.9 4.2 5.3 
			 North East 2.9 3.3 4.8 4.9 6.1 6.4 4.9 5.5 
			 North West 4.1 3.6 4.9 4.8 5.5 5.5 3.4 4.5 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 3.3 3.6 5.2 5.6 5.9 5.6 3.5 4.6 
			 East Midlands 3.5 3.6 5.8 5.8 6.7 6.3 4.2 5.0 
			 West Midlands 3.7 3.6 4.7 4.4 5.0 5.1 3.6 5.0 
			 East of England 5.4 5.3 5.9 5.0 5.7 5.3 3.5 4.7 
			 London 6.6 4.4 5.2 8.2 7.5 7.2 5.4 5.7 
			 South East 6.0 4.9 5.8 4.9 5.7 5.5 3.9 5.1 
			 South West 5.1 4.5 6.0 6.0 6.7 6.5 4.1 5.4 
			 England 5.0 4.3 5.4 5.7 6.2 6.0 4.1 5.1

Foreign Workers: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the number of migrant workers there were in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last three years.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 5 March 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on what the most recent estimate is of the number of migrant workers in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford, (b) the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last three years. (191002)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics on migrant workers for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS). The National Statistics method for estimating the number of migrant workers employed in the UK is routinely based on the number of people at a given time who were born abroad, are of working age (16-64 for men, 16-59 for women), and in employment. This question has been answered on this basis. It means, for example, that some people who are UK nationals will be included in the total of "foreign born" and that people who are working but are above state pension age are not included.
	APS estimates at this detailed level are only available consistent with population estimates published in February and March 2003 and are not comparable with the estimates published in the Labour Market Statistics First Release on 13 February 2008, which are based on latest population estimates.
	The table attached, shows the numbers of working age in employment who were not born in the UK and were resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford Parliamentary constituency and the London Borough of Bexley, for the twelve month periods ending in June for 2005, 2006, and 2007 from the APS. The July to June 2007 APS dataset is the most recent which is currently available.
	When interpreting these figures, it is important to bear in mind that the APS is not designed to cover everyone who is present in the UK. The survey may undercount the numbers of people who were born overseas. The reasons are set out in the table footnote.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Number of non-UK born persons in employment in Bexleyheath and Crayford and the London borough of Bexley in the last three year 
			   Migrant workers (thousand)( 1) 
			  12 months ending:  Bexleyheath and Crayford  London borough of Bexley 
			 June 2005 4 13 
			 June 2006 5 13 
			 June 2007 5 13 
			 (1) Includes males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59. Does not include respondents who did not answer the question on country of birth. Estimates are subject to sampling variability.  Note: It should also be noted that the country of birth question in the APS gives an undercount because: it excludes certain people who have been resident in the UK for less than six months. it excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent. it excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.). it is grossed to population estimates which exclude migrants staying for less than 12 months. microdata are grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003 which are significantly lower than the latest population estimates.  Source: Annual Population Survey

Households

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many couple households  (a) with and  (b) without dependent children there were in each year since 1992; how many and what proportion of these in each category were couples of working age where (i) one and (ii) both were (A) in and (B) out of work.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 5 March 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many couple households (a) with and (b) without dependent children there were in each year since 1992; how many and what proportion of these were couples of working age where (i) one and (ii) both were (A) in and (B) out of work in each category. (191324)
	This question has been answered on a family basis rather than household basis because more than one couple can live in a household. In addition figures provided are for working age couples in the United Kingdom, that is where both partners are of working-age (men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59).
	'Out of work' has been interpreted to include those unemployed or economically inactive.
	Dependent children are defined as children under 16 years of age and those aged 16-18 who have never-married and are in full time education.
	The information is given in the table attached. The figures in the table are estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the three month period ending in June of each year for 1997, 1999 and 2001 to 2007. Comparable estimates for 1992-1996, 1998 and 2000 are not currently available.
	The LFS is a sample survey covering over 52,000 households in the United Kingdom in each three month period. As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of working age( 1)  couples with and without dependent children( 2)  by economic status, United Kingdom, April to June 1997 to 2007 not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand and percentage( 3) 
			   Thousand  Percentage 
			   Total( 4)  Both partners employed  Both partners not employed  One employed and one not employed  Total  Both partners employed  Both partners not employed  One employed and one not employed 
			  Couples with dependent children 
			 1997 5,661 3,555 430 1,507 100 65 8 27 
			 1998 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 1999 5,590 3,600 354 1,455 100 67 6 27 
			 2000 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 2001 5,563 3,624 346 1,404 100 67 6 26 
			 2002 5,506 3,580 326 1,412 100 67 6 27 
			 2003 5,471 3,540 295 1,407 100 68 6 27 
			 2004 5,467 3,552 307 1,398 100 68 6 27 
			 2005 5,489 3,592 296 1,365 100 68 6 26 
			 2006 5,460 3,560 298 1,392 100 68 6 27 
			 2007 5,444 3,565 282 1,364 100 68 5 26 
			  
			  Couples without dependent children( 6) 
			 1997 5,241 3,414 491 1,091 100 68 10 22 
			 1998 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 1999 5,257 3,459 461 1,071 100 69 9 22 
			 2000 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 2001 5,323 3,596 424 1,048 100 71 8 21 
			 2002 5,329 3,579 413 1,041 100 71 8 21 
			 2003 5,342 3,596 388 1,021 100 72 8 20 
			 2004 5,299 3,595 413 975 100 72 8 20 
			 2005 5,271 3,575 382 967 100 73 8 20 
			 2006 5,253 3,542 370 973 100 73 8 20 
			 2007 5,216 3,551 378 943 100 73 8 19 
			 (1) Both members of the couple are of working age (men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59). (2) Dependent children are those aged under 16 and those aged or 16-18 who have never married and are in full-time education. (3) When calculating percentages, the couples with unknown economic status are excluded. (4) Includes couples with unknown economic status of one or both members. (5) Comparable estimates for 1998 and 2000 are not currently available. (6) Couples without dependent children includes couples with no children  Note: As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to a margin or uncertainty. Estimates are weighted to the population estimates published by ONS in February and March 2003.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey.

Mortgages

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of first time buyers who took out mortgages with a loan to value ratio of 90 per cent. or more in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The Government does not hold these figures. The Council of Mortgage Lenders publishes a range of statistics on UK housing and mortgage markets, including the number of mortgages taken out by first time buyers and the median loan to value ratio of these loans, available at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/statistics

National Income

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate of the gross domestic product deflator at market prices, where 2006-07 equals 100, is for financial years 2007-08 to 2010-11.

Angela Eagle: Projections for changes in the GDP deflator by financial year were published, as usual, in the 2007 pre-Budget report and comprehensive spending review (Cm 7227) Table B3: Economic assumptions for the public finance projections. This includes an estimate for 2007-08 and projections for 2008-09 through 2010-11. Updated projections will be published in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" on 12 March 2008, in the normal way.

National Income

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the seasonally adjusted Gross Domestic Product (Expenditure) deflator (YBGB), rebased to 2000, for each quarter of financial years 1990-2000 to 2007-08.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 5 March 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question requesting a copy of the seasonally adjusted Gross Domestic Product (Expenditure) deflator (YBGB), rebased to 2000, for each quarter of financial years 1990-2000 to 2007-08. (191687)
	The attached table displays this information, with the deflator re-referenced to the 2000-01 financial year. A figure for the last quarter of the latest financial year is not yet available.
	
		
			  Table A 
			  Year  Financial Quarter  Deflator (YBHB) 
			 1990-91 Q1 73.3 
			  Q2 75.3 
			  Q3 75.7 
			  Q4 77.2 
			 1991-92 Q1 78.4 
			  Q2 79.4 
			  Q3 80.5 
			  Q4 81.5 
			 1992-93 Q1 82.3 
			  Q2 82.0 
			  Q3 82.4 
			  Q4 83.5 
			 1993-94 Q1 83.8 
			  Q2 84.6 
			  Q3 85.1 
			  Q4 85.3 
			 1994-95 Q1 85.3 
			  Q2 85.3 
			  Q3 86.5 
			  Q4 86.9 
			 1995-96 Q1 87.9 
			  Q2 88.2 
			  Q3 88.6 
			  Q4 89.7 
			 1996-97 Q1 90.9 
			  Q2 91.6 
			  Q3 91.5 
			  Q4 92.3 
			 1997-98 Q1 93.1 
			  Q2 94.1 
			  Q3 94.7 
			  Q4 95.1 
			 1998-99 Q1 95.8 
			  Q2 96.6 
			  Q3 96.8 
			  Q4 97.4 
			 1999-2000 Q1 98.3 
			  Q2 98.6 
			  Q3 98.5 
			  Q4 98.9 
			 2000-01 Q1 99.3 
			  Q2 99.7 
			  Q3 100.0 
			  Q4 101.0 
			 2001-02 Q1 101.6 
			  Q2 101.5 
			  Q3 102.6 
			  Q4 103.8 
			 2002-03 Q1 104.8 
			  Q2 105.2 
			  Q3 105.6 
			  Q4 106.8 
			 2003-04 Q1 107.8 
			  Q2 108.5 
			  Q3 109.0 
			  Q4 109.2 
			 2004-05 Q1 110.6 
			  Q2 111.2 
			  Q3 112.2 
			  Q4 112.6 
			 2005-06 Q1 113.3 
			  Q2 113.2 
			  Q3 114.5 
			  Q4 115.1 
			 2006-07 Q1 115.5 
			  Q2 117.2 
			  Q3 117.8 
			  Q4 118.3 
			 2007-08 Q1 119.8 
			  Q2 120.6 
			  Q3 121.0

Northern Rock

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual value of new mortgages that Northern Rock will need to originate in order to prevent a non-asset covenant breach occurring of the Granite securitisation vehicles.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 25 February 2008
	The sale of mortgages from Northern Rock into Granite is a commercial decision for Northern Rock.
	The estimated value of mortgages that Northern Rock would need to sell into Granite in order to avoid a non-asset trigger is a commercially sensitive matter.

Public Expenditure

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to lay the main estimates for 2008-09 before the House.

Yvette Cooper: No decision has yet been taken on the date of publication and laying in the House of the main supply estimates for 2008-09. As agreed with Parliament, this will normally take place within five weeks of the Budget, subject to the House sitting.

Taxation: Bingo

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the level of value added tax payable by bingo clubs; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Taxation: Bingo

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much  (a) value added tax and  (b) other tax was paid by bingo clubs in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available; what estimate he has made of loss of tax revenue from the closure of clubs in (i) the current financial year and (ii) the next financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on the amount of VAT paid on individual goods and services.
	Revenues from gambling taxes are published in the HM Revenue and Customs Betting, Gaming and Lottery Duties Bulletin, available at http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bullbett. Bingo clubs are also subject to the usual taxes imposed on business.
	The state of the bingo industry is incorporated into the forecast of total betting and gaming duties, which includes bingo duty receipts, and will be published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report.

Taxation: Gambling

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much remote gaming duty  (a) was collected in each year since the duty was imposed and  (b) he estimates will be collected in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11.

Angela Eagle: Remote gaming duty was introduced in September 2007 and duty returns are completed quarterly. Receipts will be included in the Betting and Gaming Bulletin which can be accessed at: http//www.uktradeinfo.com. An updated forecast of total betting and gaming duties, which includes remote gaming, will be published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report.

Trade Competitiveness: City of London

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the EU Capital Requirements Directive on the competitiveness of the City of London.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury produced a regulatory impact analysis for the areas of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) that the Treasury were responsible for transposing into UK law. This analysis considered the implications of the various transposition options for the competitiveness of the City of London, amongst other factors. Further information can be found on the Treasury's website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consultations_and_legislation/capital_requirements_directive/consult_capitalrequirements_index.cfm
	The Financial Services Authority was responsible for analysing the implications of the areas of the CRD which it was responsible for transposing. Further information can be found on the FSA's website at:
	www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Policy/CP/2006/06_O3.shtml

UK Women's Budget Group

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how often he has met the UK Women's Budget Group; and when he next expects to meet them.

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

VAT: Registration

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons are for the time taken for Office Green Group (UK) Ltd, based in Brentwood and Ongar constituency, to receive VAT registration.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a statutory duty of confidentiality which restricts the use and disclosure of the information it holds relating to the tax affairs of individuals, companies and other bodies.
	However, HMRC acknowledges that there have been difficulties with registering new businesses for VAT. An action plan for tackling delays was implemented in June 2007 and HMRC has put additional staff in post, invested in IT improvements, and continues to refine the risk criteria so they stay targeted on the right risks. These measures have significantly improved VAT Registration performance.
	During December 2007 and January 2008 HMRC delivered their target performance level with over 70 per cent. of applications being processed within 14-days.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance Allowance: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Bexleyheath and Crayford were in receipt of the  (a) higher rate and  (b) lower rate of attendance allowance in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: At May 2007, 860 people were in receipt of the higher rate of attendance allowance and 960 people were in receipt of the lower rate in the parliamentary constituency of Bexleyheath and Crayford.

Children: Maintenance

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with EDS on the costs of extending use of the child support computer system beyond 1 April 2008; and who will meet those costs.

James Plaskitt: The use of the child support computer system is covered by an existing contract with EDS. This contract runs, initially, until 2010 and under the terms of the contract EDS retain obligations to provide the relevant services at agreed contracted prices until expiry. The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission will assume responsibility for child support computer systems during 2008, however the Department for Work and Pensions will remain responsible for agreeing the Commission's funding.

Departmental ICT

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) start date,  (b) original planned completion date,  (c) current expected completion date,  (d) planned cost and  (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Although the department does not have any discrete IT projects, it has a number of projects and programmes that include changes to IT to a greater or lesser extent. We have included in the following table:
	those current projects and programmes undertaken by the Department where the IT element of the project or programme results in the development and/or implementation of services that underpin the delivery of departmental business, and
	where non-delivery of the IT element would significantly damage the project's or programme's ability to deliver its intended results.
	For all programmes or projects with the exception of Child Support Agency (CSA) Operational Improvement Plan the costs and dates reported relate to the total project or programme and not only the IT element. In the case of CSA OIP which is an operational improvement programme only the IT element costs and delivery timelines are recorded in the table.
	The table shows information on the programme/project purpose, start date, original planned completion date, expected completion date, originally planned costs and estimated costs.
	It should be noted that the scope of projects can change as they pass through the project lifecycle and as plans and costs become more robust. At each stage of this process they are checked to ensure that they continue to fit with Departmental strategy and continue to deliver value for money.
	
		
			(i)  (ii)  (iii)  (iv)  (v) 
			  Project  Purpose  Start date  Original planned completion dat e  Expected completion date  Originally planned costs (£ million)  Estimated costs (£ million) 
			 Pensions Transformation Project—(see note 3). The programme will transform The Pension Service, bringing together business and IT change in ways that improve customer service and deliver efficiencies. January 2002 March 2007 2010-11 429 598 
			 Customer Information System This project will deliver a database of key citizen information to be shared across DWP. The database will complement information currently available in the Department's key customer information systems, i.e. Personal Details Computer System and Departmental Central Index, and become their replacement. Consideration is being given for wider use of CIS by Other Government Departments. July 2003 September 2007 February 2008 40 89 
			 Document Repository Service This project seeks to support the Department's modernisation programmes through the provision of a document repository to store digitised images of documents received from customers (letters, faxes, e-mails etc.), cutting down paper in the organisation. July 2006 November 2008 November 2008 6 11 
			 Central Payments System (formerly part of Payment Modernisation A modern integrated central payment engine and accounts payable system to improve accounting for benefit/pension payments, reduce risks of service failure, increased speed and efficiency, and information for improved customer service and reduced fraud and error. April 2004 October 2006 December 2010 90 153 
			 Customer Management System (previously known as Working Age Services Modernisation Project (WASMP) The CMS releases develop and implement a new front-end data gathering system for primary Jobcentre Plus benefit processing systems, including auto-transfer of data. January 2001 April 2008 April 2008 252 269 
			 Employment and Support Allowance The project delivers the system and processes to implement the new ESA allowance. August 2006 October 2008 October 2008 295 295 
			 HR IS/IT programme Following the merger of the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency Human Resources functions the DWP HR organisation is undergoing modernisation and moving from a centralised, old-style personnel function to a new outward facing HR Group. This includes changing how DWP delivers policies and services. The HR IS/IT Programme contributes to the delivery of these improvements ensuring its operation is efficient and effective and supports Departments learning and leadership objectives. June 2003 March 2006 March 2008 63 53 
			 On Time Solution Provide a range of improved information services to DWP businesses, including improved quicker Management Information, Fraud and Error intervention and analysis. March 2006 March 2011 March 2011 11 11 
			 Operational Improvement Plan (see note 4). Operational and organisational restructuring of the Child Support Agency to deliver more money to more children. April 2006 April 2009 April 2009 107 110 
			 Provider Referrals and Payment Project Deploy an IT system to automate and e-enable transactions between Jobcentre Plus and training providers. April 2007 April 2009 June 2010 17 15 
			 Web Enabled Local Service System Provide a solution to replace the existing standalone IT used by Local Services providing LS flexibility October 2007 January 2009 January 2009 4 4 
			 State Pension Reform Delivery Programme To co-ordinate, manage and deliver a range of measures and consequential impacts which will establish a new structure for the UK Pension System long term. April 2007 April 2010 April 2010 151 154 
			 Fraud Referral and Intervention Management System This Project develops and delivers a core IT platform that provides a lasting foundation for modern flexible IT support of business priorities, by introducing a new system to provide the Programme Protection Community with a single national data store of all fraud, compliance and risk cases. December 2004 April 2006 June 2008 11 33 
			 DWP Change Programme This programme brigades a number of complementary initiatives to deliver the DWP Business Vision. Including major projects to bring in Continuous Improvement using Lean techniques which should allow greater customer focus and efficiency in our process and business change projects to allow greater access to information. April 2007 March 2011 March 2011 286 286 
			 Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (see note 6). To establish a new child maintenance system that delivers more money to more children and better value for money to the taxpayer. March 2007 March 2007 2014-15 870 866 
			  Notes: 1. Original planned completion date and originally planned completion costs are the date and costs agreed to by the relevant Departmental management committee at the time the project or programme passed through Gate zero (or an equivalent process) of the Department's governance procedures. We expect these to be refined as costs and timelines become clearer through the lifetime of the project. We regularly review costs and benefits at the appropriate governance points to ensure that they continue to deliver value for money. 2. The costs above represent the costs of implementing the particular project and programme. Costs of running the solutions implemented by the projects and programmes are not included above as in the vast majority of cases they are more than compensated for by the financial benefits they generate. These savings are demonstrated in the recent NAO report "The Efficiency programme: A Second Review of Progress". 3. Initiatives that are associated with ongoing system improvements or enhancements as part of business as usual have not been included  4. When first conceived the Pensions Transformation Programme was to be funded by way of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) arrangement. During the early stages of development, best practice for financing the programme indicated that PFI was no longer the appropriate financing method and thus it was decided to use departmental funds. Financing the development using departmental funds has the effect of increasing the development costs of the programme while reducing the operating cost of the programme by a similar amount. Thus the actual amount of money committed to the programme is broadly the same. 5. The Child Support Agency Operational Improvement Plan is a business recovery programme and is not a business change project in the normal sense. The focus of the programme is the organisational and operational restructuring of the Agency to deliver significant performance improvements, getting more money to parents. It specifically aims to tackle the key area of debt, compliance and enforcement. Over a three year period the programme will design, develop and implement, process and organisational change underpinned by continuing remediation of existing computer systems and the introduction of further IT enhancements in preparation for the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission organisation. 6. At this stage, with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission yet to be established, these costs are best viewed as planning assumptions. They will depend ultimately on how C-MEC will configure its services; the details and timing of the transitional arrangements to the new scheme; and the choices that parents will make. All of these factors are subject to significant uncertainties. It should also be noted that estimated IT costs account for less than 20 per cent. of the overall costs.

Departmental Telephone Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which agencies under his Department's responsibilities use the  (a) 0845 and  (b) 0870 telephone codes for customer enquiries; how many 0845 and 0870 telephone codes each agency uses; and how much revenue was generated for each of these codes by each agency in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: None of my Department's agencies use 0870 numbers for customer inquiries. Information on the use of 0845 numbers is in the table:
	
		
			  Agency  0845 numbers in use 
			 Child Support Agency 11,500 
			 Jobcentre Plus 198 
			 The Pension Service 26 
			 Disability and Carers Service 6 
		
	
	In addition, although not formally an agency, the Department's debt management service uses nineteen 0845 numbers.
	The high number of lines in the CSA reflects a one- time business model which gave each agent a direct dial number that clients could use to contact a specific person. The facility still exists but its use is minimal since the agency adopted an advanced telephony model with an area based single number for clients, which routes calls to the person best equipped to answer the query.
	The Department received a rebate of £1,463,738.45 for the period covering 1 October 2005 to 30 November 2007 and this was used to pay for other telecommunication services. No information is available for any earlier period and no breakdown of this figure is available. The Department ceased this arrangement on 14 December 2007 and no longer receives any rebate. This change in arrangement does not affect the charge a customer pays for contacting the Department.

Departmental Translation Services

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of his Department's translation and interpreting work is outsourced through framework agreements with commercial providers; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Under the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000) and the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), the Department has a responsibility to make appropriate provision to communicate with customers who do not speak English or Welsh, or who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, or who provide the Department, at our request, with legal or official documents written in a foreign language.
	The Department for Work and Pensions provides a national range of translation and interpreting services across all of its agencies that include, but are not limited to, the following:
	Use of multi-lingual staff, who are willing and able to interpret or to undertake an interview in a foreign language
	Face-to-face individual interpreters and signers for local office customers
	English to Welsh translation for documentation which is partly done by the small in-house Welsh Language Unit and the remainder by external providers
	Ethnic Translation Services of a large number of written documents in a wide range of languages
	Written English and Welsh to Braille translation and Braille to English and Welsh translation
	Formatting of printed documents into easy-read format
	Telephone interpreting service (multi-lingual)
	In order to deliver these services on a national basis the Department for Work and Pensions has established a number of framework agreements via full open tender processes with a number of external providers.
	All of the above services are outsourced except for a small number of multi-lingual staff who offer their services on an as required basis within their local office.

Disability Living Allowance: Elderly

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons disability living allowance is not available for the first time to people over the age of 65.

Anne McGuire: The aim of disability living allowance is to focus additional help with the extra costs of disability on people who are severely disabled early, or relatively early, in life.
	Attendance allowance provides help with the disability-related extra costs of people who experience the onset of disability after age 65.

Housing Benefit: Administration

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he proposes to introduce a linking rule for customers on housing benefit with short breaks in claims before transferring them to local housing allowance.

James Plaskitt: We will not be introducing linking rules in the local housing allowance (LHA) regulations
	Any linking rules would introduce complexity into the LHA scheme, undermining one of our key objectives, which is to reduce complexity within benefits.

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of incapacity benefit claimants who have had a full, independent medical assessment.

Anne McGuire: All new claimants of incapacity benefits have always been subject to medical assessment in order to establish their eligibility to the benefit.
	Since 3 April 2000, the Personal Capability Assessment has generally been applied from the outset of a claim although there are some exceptions.
	It is not possible to calculate the proportion of incapacity benefit claimants who have had a full medical assessment.

Incapacity Benefits: Industrial Diseases

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disablement benefit awards have been paid to those with  (a) asbestoses,  (b) mesothelioma and  (c) other asbestos-related diseases, broken down by (i) region and (ii) sex; how much has been paid in such compensation in each year; and what the total annual value of the payments made has been.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 31 January 2008
	 The available information has been placed in the Library.

Industrial Accidents

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the rate of accidents among  (a) temporary,  (b) short-term,  (c) low-qualified and  (d) permanent workers were in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: Figures from the labour force survey (LFS) for the three-year period 2003-04 to 2005-06 indicate that the average rate of reportable accidents for all workers (which includes temporary, short-term and permanent workers) is 1,090 per 100,000 workers. The figure for workers in occupations requiring few or no qualifications is 2,070 per 100,000 workers. The structure of questions in the LFS does not allow reliable comparison of separate accident rates for temporary, short-term and permanent workers. The aforementioned rates quoted are not available for each year requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Industrial Health and Safety

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on funding for worker safety advisers.

Anne McGuire: Recent representations on funding for worker safety advisers in the construction industry have been received from the Strategic Forum for Construction's Health and Safety Group.

Industrial Health and Safety

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to reduce the health and safety risks of  (a) migrant,  (b) temporary agency,  (c) women,  (d) young and  (e) older workers.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) works to ensure dutyholders properly control risks to all workers regardless of employment or migration status, age or gender. Its recent focus on migrant and temporary workers has included targeted inspection, investigation and enforcement; preparation of advice and guidance; collaborative work with Government Departments and other stakeholders; and research. On women, young and older workers, HSE's work has included provision of web-based advice and guidance on reducing risks to young workers and to new and expectant mothers; collaboration with other agencies in health and safety awareness raising events; and sponsorship of research on the implications of an ageing work force.

Industrial Health and Safety: Black Economy

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of health and safety standards in the informal economy.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces the requirements of health and safety legislation wherever it finds failings, regardless of the status of the workers affected. However, formal assessment of health and safety standards overall in the informal economy is by definition extremely difficult. HSE works in partnership with other Government Departments to identify and tackle failings in compliance wherever they occur. A recent example is our involvement in a programme of work to detect illegal employment of migrants in the West Midlands, and the use of information and intelligence arising from this to target inspection at workplaces, some of which were previously unknown to HSE.

Industrial Health and Safety: Stress

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the health and safety implications of stress at work; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health, poor productivity and human error. That means increased sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance and a possible increase in accidents due to human error. My Department and the Health and Safety Executive recognise the impact that work-related stress can have on the British work force. HSE has therefore developed Management Standards for Work-related Stress, designed to address the key causes of stress at work and help employers, employees and their representatives manage the issue sensibly and minimise the impact of work-related stress on their businesses.

Industrial Health and Safety: Temporary Employment

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure all temporary and agency workers are incorporated into the legal framework of health and safety.

Anne McGuire: Temporary and agency workers have been protected by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 since it came into force, and by relevant statutory provisions made under the Act since then, including in particular sections of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 applying specifically to workers in these categories. The Health and Safety Executive enforces the legislation in respect of this group in the same way as to any other group, as set out in its enforcement policy statement.

Kelda: Employment

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely employment effects of the takeover of Kelda by a private equity group.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	The acquisition of Kelda Group by Saltaire Water is a commercial matter for the enterprises concerned and their shareholders.

Low Incomes: Children

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's estimate is of the number of children in  (a) the UK,  (b) Wales,  (c) Scotland and  (d) England living in families with incomes at or below 60 per cent. of median incomes; and what estimate he has made of the numbers living in such families in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 28 February 2008
	 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Cardiff, Central (Jenny Willott) on 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 745W.

National Insurance Contributions: Females

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of women reaching the age of 68 in 2010 who will have  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three,  (d) four,  (e) five,  (f) six,  (g) seven,  (h) eight and  (i) nine years too few of national insurance contributions to claim a full basic state pension.

Mike O'Brien: Information in the format requested is not available. Estimates of women reaching 61 in 2003-04 (and due to reach age 68 in 2010-11) is provided in the following table. Figures refer to own contribution records only. Some of these women may be receiving higher amounts of basic state pension based on their husbands' or former husbands' contribution records.
	
		
			   Number of additional qualifying years needed to reach full basic state pension based on their own contribution record 
			   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 
			 Number of women reaching 61 in 2003-04 5,000 6,000 6,000 7,000 7,000 9,000 9,000 11,000 12,000 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are taken from a 1 per cent. sample of the Lifetime Labour Market Database and so are subject to variation. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. The figures in the table relate to cases where the women were deemed to be resident in the UK in 2003-04. 3. Dates refer to financial years i.e. 2003-04 covers the period from 6 April 2003 to 5 April 2004.  Source: 1 per cent. Information Directorate datasets, 2003-04.

Pathways to Work: Dorset

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the successful contractor for the Pathways scheme in Dorset will be announced; and when the contract will commence.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 29 February 2008
	The Pathways to Work service became available in Dorset in December 2006, and was introduced as part of the phase which completed the planned roll-out of Jobcentre Plus-led Pathways to Work in 18 districts across England, Scotland and Wales. Dorset does not receive the Pathways service through the provider-led model, therefore, there will be no overall delivery contract. As in all Jobcentre Plus-led Pathways districts, however, the service is delivered in partnership with local partner organisations.
	Details about the availability of Jobcentre Plus-led Pathways services were made available through the use of marketing posters, leaflets and customer letters. Details of the offices delivering the service were posted on the Department's website in December 2006.

Pensions: Females

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of women with  (a) 30,  (b) 31,  (c) 32,  (d) 33,  (e) 34,  (f) 35,  (g) 36,  (h) 37,  (i) 38 and  (j) 39 contributory years towards the basic state pension; and how many in each case will be aged (i) 50, (ii) 51, (iii) 52, (iv) 53, (v) 54, (vi) 55, (vii) 56, (viii) 57, (ix) 58, (x) 59, (xi) 60, (xii) 61, (xiii) 62, (xiv) 63 and (xv) 64 and over on 6 April 2010.

Mike O'Brien: Currently around 35 per cent. of women reaching state pension age are entitled to a full basic state pension. Due to the 2007 Pensions Act, it is estimated that in 2010, this proportion will rise to around 75 per cent. The modelling used to produce these estimates is based on examining how the overall average entitlement to basic state pension changes and does not provide detailed projections of each individual's entitlement. Therefore the information requested is not available.

Pensions: Females

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of women reaching the age of 60 years in 2010 who will have  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three,  (d) four,  (e) five,  (f) six,  (g) seven,  (h) eight and  (i) nine years too few national insurance contributions to be eligible for a full basic state pension.

Mike O'Brien: Currently around 35 per cent. of women reaching state pension age are entitled to a full basic state pension. Due to the 2007 Pensions Act, it is estimated that in 2010, this proportion will rise to around 75 per cent. The modelling used to produce these estimates is based on examining how the overall average entitlement to basic state pension changes and does not provide detailed projections of each individual's entitlement. Therefore the information requested is not available.

Pensions: Luton

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of trends in pensioner poverty in Luton since 1997;
	(2)  how many pensioners in Luton are living in poverty.

Mike O'Brien: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994-95—2005-06".
	The data source does not allow us to provide robust numbers for estimates below the level of Government office region. Information on the number and percentage of pensioners in the East of England living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median income after housing costs is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Pensioners living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income after housing costs in East of England: 1995-96 to 2005-06 
			  Three-year averages  Number of pensioners (million)  Percentage of pensioners 
			 1995-96—1997-98 0.26 28 
			 1996-97—1998-99 0.27 29 
			 1997-98—1999-2000 0.27 28 
			 1998-99—2000-01 0.27 28 
			 1999-2000—2001-02 0.25 26 
			 2000-01—2002-03 0.25 25 
			 2001-02—2003-04 0.24 24 
			 2002-03—2004-05 0.22 21 
			 2003-04—2005-06 0.18 18 
			  Notes: 1. Three survey year averages are given for each of the regions as robust single year estimates cannot be produced because of the sample sizes for individual regions. 2. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. Income is assessed after deducting housing costs. 3. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 4. Figures are based on survey data and as such are subject to a degree of sampling and non-sampling error. 5. As part of PSA17 Delivery Agreement, three indicators of low income poverty will be monitored: the percentage of pensioners below 60 per cent. contemporary median income, 50 per cent. median income and 60 per cent. of 1998-99 median income uprated in line with prices, all measured after housing costs.  Source: Family Resources Survey

Pensions: Luton

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for pension credit have been  (a) successful and  (b) refused in Luton since its introduction.

Mike O'Brien: In Luton, South there have been 5,910 successful claims to pension credit since its introduction through to May 2007. Information on the number of claims that have been refused is not available.
	 Source
	DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Pensions: Luton

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many pensioners have received pension credit in Luton South constituency since its introduction;
	(2)  what the average value of pension credit paid in Luton South constituency has been since introduction.

Mike O'Brien: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Household recipients and average weekly amounts of pension credit for Luton South parliamentary constituency 
			   Household recipients  Average weekly amounts of pension credit (£) 
			 November 2003 3,390 56.32 
			 May 2004 4,030 52.91 
			 May 2005 4,260 54.12 
			 May 2006 4,330 56.29 
			 May 2007 4,330 59.73 
			  Notes: 1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Average amounts are rounded to the nearest penny. 3. Pension credit was introduced in October 2003 so data for 2003 are as at November. 4. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data

Pensions: Luton

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average value of pension paid to pensioners was in Luton in each year since 1997; and what the average change was in such value in each year.

Mike O'Brien: Such information as is readily available is in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Luton, South parliamentary constituency 
			   Average weekly amount of state pension  Change in weekly average amount 
			 September 1999 69.08 — 
			 September 2000 70.25 1.17 
			 September 2001 75.95 5.70 
			
			 May 2002 78.60 — 
			 May 2003 81.39 2.79 
			 May 2004 84.46 3.07 
			 May 2005 87.65 3.19 
			 May 2006 91.00 3.35 
			 May 2007 95.22 4.22 
			  Notes: 1. 1999-2001 numbers are based on a five per cent sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 2. The change in average has not been calculated between 2001 and 2002 as sample data are not available at May. 3. Parliamentary constituency breakdowns are not readily available before September 1999. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest penny. 5. State pension includes basic state pension, additional pension and graduated retirement benefit.  Source:  1999-2001, 5 per cent. sample, DWP Information Directorate. 2002-07, 100 per cent. DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Pensions: Recipients

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners were receiving pensions in the United Kingdom in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: As at May 2007, there were 10,780,310 recipients of state pension in Great Britain.
	 Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

State Retirement Pension

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the increases in the basic state pension payable in each year from 2009-10 to 2012-13 if surpluses in the National Insurance Fund were reallocated to state pensions.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 29 February 2008
	 National insurance contributions (NICs) and associated social security benefits operate within the Government's fiscal rules designed to ensure sound public finances and when there is a surplus it is invested in public services. Any surplus of NICs over social security benefits in any one year (the NIF surplus) is not therefore an extra resource available to spend.

State Retirement Pensions: Overseas Residence

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what percentage of pensioners received their pensions while living abroad in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many British pensioners were living outside the United Kingdom in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: As at May 2007, there were 1,066,120 people in receipt of UK state pension living outside the United Kingdom. This is around 9 per cent. of state pension recipients.
	 Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Telephone Services

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average call waiting time has been for customer call centres in his Department in the last 12 months, broken down by contact number and region.

Anne McGuire: The information available is provided in the following tables. All figures are in seconds unless otherwise stated.
	
		
			  Centre/region  Contact number  Business area  December 2006  January 2007  February 2007  March 2007  April 2007  May 2007 
			 Debt Centre Salford/Trafford(1) 08456003334 Off Benefit 28 35 28 30 39 24 
			  08456003335 Enforcement 17 13 22 12 11 21 
			  08456024201 Off Benefit (SF)( 1) — — — — 13 14 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Liverpool(3) 08457133133 — 6 9 10 10 9 10 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Birkenhead 08456090062 — 16 23 26 26 25 24 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Dudley 08456090062 — 21 22 21 21 23 18 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Belfast 08456090092 — 26 37 25 26 29 25 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Falkirk 08456090042 — 19 25 21 22 22 21 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Plymouth 08456090072 — 25 35 27 25 24 25 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Hastings 08456090052 — 27 32 27 22 23 22 
			  
			 Benefit inquiry Line Preston(4) 0800882200 Main Line 15 44 46 36 48 45 
			  0800243355 Textphone 9 10 8 6 9 9 
			  0800441144 Forms Completion 14 31 56 56 50 41 
			  
			 DLA/AA Helpline Blackpool(4) 08457123456 Change of Circs Menu option 1 3 3 3 3 4 4 
			  08457123456 New Claim Pack Menu option 2 — — 18 12 12 11 
			  08457123456 Decision Making and Appeals Menu option 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 
			  08457123456 General Inquiries Menu option hold 106 118 122 126 148 143 
			  08457224433 Textphone 6 7 6 6 6 7 
			  08456020194 District Office 16 16 16 16 16 16 
			  08456020197 Motability 24 25 24 24 22 22 
			  08453001403 3(rd) Party Text 5 5 6 5 7 13 
			  08459000121 3(rd) Party 21 22 22 22 24 26 
			  
			 The Pension Service Bath 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 6 10 19 19 21 15 
			  
			 The Pension Service Birmingham 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 16 20 19 18 20 18 
			  
			 The Pension Service Burnley 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 29 30 30 38 43 — 
			  08453001084 State Pension 1 2 2 57 86 75 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 1 2 2 59 101 84 
			  
			 The Pension Service Cwmbran 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 9 12 16 16 24 45 
			  08453001084 State Pension 4 19 26 30 26 41 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 3 10 15 20 25 38 
			  
			 The Pension Service Dundee 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 31 50 73 35 90 118 
			  08453001084 State Pension 59 30 80 33 34 54 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 30 22 88 45 33 48 
			  
			 The Pension Service Leicester 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 16 17 17 16 20 23 
			  08453001084 State Pension 12 8 6 12 65 40 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 7 11 7 12 77 68 
			  
			 NPC (Newcastle) 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 4 32 29 60 133 100 
			  08453001084 State Pension 19 26 58 60 38 36 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 39 40 50 56 41 34 
			  
			 The Pension Service Motherwell 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 15 18 17 19 13 12 
			  08453001084 State Pension 22 30 46 48 45 35 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 8 13 33 47 31 22 
			  
			 The Pension Service Seaham 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 18 15 9 20 15 16 
			  08453001084 State Pension 14 28 69 108 93 90 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 13 22 61 148 91 87 
			  
			 The Pension Service Stockport 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 32 52 55 102 173 158 
			  08453001084 State Pension 4 13 22 29 32 69 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 3 13 21 27 24 60 
			  
			 The Pension Service Swansea 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 12 27 24 24 38 58 
			  08453001084 State Pension 8 30 70 56 27 63 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 49 50 39 37 20 47 
			  
			 The Pension Service Warrington 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 19 34 79 128 98 36 
			  08453001084 State Pension 14 14 16 41 31 25 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 11 12 15 24 9 27 
		
	
	
		
			  Centre/region  Contact number  Business area  June 2007  July 2007  August 2007  September 2007  October 2007  November 2007 
			 Debt Centre Salford/Trafford(1) 08456003334 Off Benefit 14 16 16 (2)64 23 19 
			  08456003335 Enforcement 14 20 25 (2)44 30 13 
			  08456024201 Off Benefit (SF)( 1) 10 10 15 18 16 15 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Liverpool(3) 08457133133 — 14 16 13 13 13 12 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Birkenhead 08456090062 — 29 27 27 22 22 22 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Dudley 08456090062 — 21 22 21 19 20 20 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Belfast 08456090092 — 22 27 19 17 18 20 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Falkirk 08456090042 — 26 24 24 22 21 24 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Plymouth 08456090072 — 35 37 22 20 19 20 
			  
			 Child Support Agency Hastings 08456090052 — 24 24 23 21 21 22 
			  
			 Benefit inquiry Line Preston(4) 0800882200 Main Line 36 44 53 45 38 32 
			  0800243355 Textphone 8 9 10 10 11 11 
			  0800441144 Forms Completion 47 46 67 45 53 42 
			  
			 DLA/AA Helpline Blackpool(4) 08457123456 Change of Circs Menu option 1 4 4 3 4 3 3 
			  08457123456 New Claim Pack Menu option 2 11 12 13 14 10 11 
			  08457123456 Decision Making and Appeals Menu option 3 5 5 5 6 4 5 
			  08457123456 General Inquiries Menu option hold 143 151 168 167 138 151 
			  08457224433 Textphone 6 7 5 6 7 5 
			  08456020194 District Office 16 16 16 16 16 16 
			  08456020197 Motability 23 25 24 25 28 27 
			  08453001403 3(rd) Party Text 13 12 5 L5 6 4 
			  08459000121 3(rd) Party 24 23 23 23 22 22 
			  
			 The Pension Service Bath 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 10 10 5 6 11 11 
			  
			 The Pension Service Birmingham 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 17 24 21 21 15 15 
			  
			 The Pension Service Burnley 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 35 47 48 25 28 24 
			  08453001084 State Pension 132 41 39 49 41 36 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 96 42 41 41 40 30 
			  
			 The Pension Service Cwmbran 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 37 57 40 32 29 20 
			  08453001084 State Pension 43 27 23 27 27 23 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 34 26 34 37 29 19 
			  
			 The Pension Service Dundee 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 144 270 221 23 25 25 
			  08453001084 State Pension 101 130 32 31 30 24 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 87 137 33 23 20 16 
			  
			 The Pension Service Leicester 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 23 30 34 51 27 26 
			  08453001084 State Pension 337 463 80 41 44 106 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 282 401 133 48 53 1 
			  
			 NPC (Newcastle) 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 38 69 84 74 53 77 
			  08453001084 State Pension 82 55 40 40 26 29 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 60 47 41 32 24 31 
			  
			 The Pension Service Motherwell 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 15 21 54 57 33 27 
			  08453001084 State Pension 89 43 58 36 30 38 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 55 40 66 36 25 32 
			  
			 The Pension Service Seaham 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 8 9 12 14 14 12 
			  08453001084 State Pension 190 87 70 59 27 30 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 178 77 61 41 24 23 
			  
			 The Pension Service Stockport 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 186 156 103 120 62 35 
			  08453001084 State Pension 125 125 125 123 58 39 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 73 87 103 86 3 20 
			  
			 The Pension Service Swansea 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 60 99 120 77 32 36 
			  08453001084 State Pension 125 38 77 69 42 82 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 93 85 133 90 48 99 
			  
			 The Pension Service Warrington 08456060265 Change of Circumstances 24 45 65 174 83 37 
			  08453001084 State Pension 81 20 17 37 41 50 
			  0800991234 Pension Credit 39 53 46 56 53 41 
			 (1) Debt Centre Salford became Debt Centre Trafford from April 2007. Debt Management Trafford took responsibility for recovery of social fund loans from those no longer in receipt of benefit (Off Benefit SF). (2) System failure impacted wait times. (3) Deals exclusively with all of the Agency's old scheme (prior to March 2003) related calls. (4) Figures are for average speed to answer a call. This measure is the same as average call waiting time as both represents the average amount of time callers had to wait before the call was answered. 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Centre/region  Contact number  Business area  November 2006  December 2006  January 2007  February 2007  March 2007  April 2007 
			 Jobcentre Plus Group 1(1, 2) 08456060234 Jobseeker Direct 91.4 92.2 83.1 75.00 84.9 76.6 
			  08000556688 First Contact 76.9 86.7 81.5 88.6 95.1 90.7 
			  08456012001 Employer Direct 97.5 94.7 91.7 88.3 91.1 69.9 
			  08456000043 Nino Allocations 93.8 96.7 84.7 81.4 89.8 84.8 
			  080085440 National Benefit Fraud Hotline 95.0 89.0 89.7 90.1 92.6 88.7 
			   Crisis Loan — — — — — — 
			  Benefit Delivery Centres Crisis Loan Decision Making — — — — — — 
			  08456008192 IB LP Campaign — — — — — — 
			  08456004271 DWP Postal Line — — — — — — 
			  
			 Jobcentre Plus Group 2(3) 08456060234 Jobseeker Direct 92.4 96.1 89.1 75.9 84.6 77.4 
			  08000556688 First Contact 78.3 86.5 81.8 82.6 85.2 87.5 
			  08456012001 Employer Direct 98.5 96.2 93.8 86.2 95.0 85.3 
			  08456000043 Nino Allocations 92.1 96.7 87.8 85.3 89.5 84.6 
			  080085440 National Benefit Fraud Hotline — — — — — — 
			   Crisis Loan — — — — — — 
			  Benefit Delivery Centres Crisis Loan Decision Making — — — — — — 
			  08456008192 IB LP Campaign — — — — — — 
			  08456004271 DWP Postal Line — — — — — — 
			  
			 Jobcentre Plus Group 3(4) 08456060234 Jobseeker Direct 84.8 91.7 77.6 77.7 80.4 84.2 
			  08000556688 First Contact 79.5 87.0 84.3 85.1 88.2 86.3 
			  08456012001 Employer Direct — — — — — — 
			  08456000043 Nino Allocations — — — — — — 
			  080085440 National Benefit Fraud Hotline — — — — — — 
			   Crisis Loan — — — — — — 
			  Benefit Delivery Centres Crisis Loan Decision Making — — — — — — 
			  08456008192 IB LP Campaign — — — — — — 
			  08456004271 DWP Postal Line — — — — — — 
			  
			 Jobcentre Plus Group 4(5) 08456060234 Jobseeker Direct 89.6 90.6 82.3 75.4 82.4 81.1 
			  08000556688 First Contact 80.6 88.6 80.5 81.9 87.6 84.3 
			  08456012001 Employer Direct 97.6 95.3 92.9 88.6 92.4 80.8 
			  08456000043 Nino Allocations 95.9 97.4 88.9 84.0 90.1 84.0 
			  080085440 National Benefit Fraud Hotline — — — — — — 
			   Crisis Loan — — — — — — 
			  Benefit Delivery Centres Crisis Loan Decision Making — — — — — — 
			  08456008192 IB LP Campaign — — — — — — 
			  08456004271 DWP Postal Line — — — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Centre/region  Contact number  Business area  May2007  June 2007  July 2007  August 2007  September 2007  October 2007 
			 Jobcentre Plus Group 1(1, 2) 08456060234 Jobseeker Direct 81.8 75.7 83.6 86.6 74.0 86.7 
			  08000556688 First Contact 93.6 85.8 76.7 75.3 81.2 79.4 
			  08456012001 Employer Direct 82.0 91.7 93.2 86.5 76.0 82.8 
			  08456000043 Nino Allocations 85.2 88.7 91.0 86.5 66.7 75.7 
			  080085440 National Benefit Fraud Hotline 93.8 94.5 97.3 96.8 92.2 93.7 
			   Crisis Loan — 8.6 12.0 29.6 68.0 63.5 
			  Benefit Delivery Centres Crisis Loan Decision Making — — — — — 94.3 
			  08456008192 IB LP Campaign — — — — — — 
			  08456004271 DWP Postal Line — — — — — — 
			  
			 Jobcentre Plus Group 2(3) 08456060234 Jobseeker Direct 83.4 78.9 83.0 85.2 76.2 85.7 
			  08000556688 First Contact 85.8 77.4 82.5 80.7 78.9 79.6 
			  08456012001 Employer Direct 86.5 91.0 92.7 88.9 79.5 81.5 
			  08456000043 Nino Allocations 85.0 87.6 90.8 84.7 63.9 75.8 
			  080085440 National Benefit Fraud Hotline — — — — — — 
			   Crisis Loan — 5.5 21.8 49.2 61.1 59.9 
			  Benefit Delivery Centres Crisis Loan Decision Making — — — — — — 
			  08456008192 IB LP Campaign — — — 91.2 95.3 — 
			  08456004271 DWP Postal Line — — — — — — 
			  
			 Jobcentre Plus Group 3(4) 08456060234 Jobseeker Direct 85.6 82.8 80.1 87.5 78.0 84.8 
			  08000556688 First Contact 84.7 76.3 71.2 75.2 79.3 90.9 
			  08456012001 Employer Direct — — — — — — 
			  08456000043 Nino Allocations — — — — — — 
			  080085440 National Benefit Fraud Hotline — — — — — — 
			   Crisis Loan 55.7 48.6 38.5 34.8 60.5 — 
			  Benefit Delivery Centres Crisis Loan Decision Making — — — — — — 
			  08456008192 IB LP Campaign — — — — — — 
			  08456004271 DWP Postal Line — — — — — — 
			  
			 Jobcentre Plus Group 4(5) 08456060234 Jobseeker Direct 80.8 67.3 76.3 75.8 72.8 85.0 
			  08000556688 First Contact 85.7 83.6 77.2 69.0 79.6 86.5 
			  08456012001 Employer Direct 82.4 89.8 93.6 88.5 78.2 86.0 
			  08456000043 Nino Allocations 85.0 89.7 91.2 89.2 74.4 79.0 
			  080085440 National Benefit Fraud Hotline — — — — — — 
			   Crisis Loan 55.7 — — 62.1 70.6 68.5 
			  Benefit Delivery Centres Crisis Loan Decision Making — — — — — — 
			  08456008192 IB LP Campaign — — — — — — 
			  08456004271 DWP Postal Line — — 97.2 85.6 — — 
			 (1) Jobcentre Plus Contact Centres do not collate average call waiting or average speed of answer times. The data provided relate to the Service Level Agreement in place to answer 80 per cent. of calls within 30 seconds; up to September 2007, this was to answer 80 per cent. of calls within 20 seconds. (2) Sites within Group 1 are Grimsby, Halifax, Lowestoft, Grimsby Employer Direct and Southend. (3) Sites within Group 2 are Blackburn, Bootle, Paisley, Garston, Liverpool and Clydebank. (4) Sites within Group 3 are Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Sheffield, Dundee, Blackpool and Poole. (5) Sites within Group 4 are Bangor, Bridgend, Pembroke Dock, Taunton, Torquay, Caerphilly and Exeter.

Unemployment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1124W, on unemployment, what the equivalent figures were for 1997.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 29 February 2008
	 The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of working age workless households by type. Great Britain: Quarter 2 (April, May, June) 1997 
			   Number (thousand) 
			 Two parent household with dependent children 371 
			 Lone/single parent household with dependent children 756 
			 Other household with dependent children 18 
			 Total number of workless households with dependent children 1,145 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. The figures show the number of working-age households with dependent children where no adult works. 3. A working-age household is a household that includes at least one person of working age (a woman aged between 16 and 59 or a man aged between 16 and 64). 4. Workless individuals are those who are either International Labour Organisation unemployed or economically inactive (that is, not in employment). 5. A dependent child is defined as a child aged under 16 or aged under 19 and in full-time education.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey

Winter Fuel Payments

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons residents of care homes are considered ineligible for the winter fuel allowance.

Mike O'Brien: Residents of care homes who are not in receipt of pension credit are entitled to a shared winter fuel payment of either £100 if they are aged 60-79 or £150 if they are aged 80 or over. This is because they share the accommodation with other people who are also entitled to the payment and are responsible for a share of the heating costs.
	Residents of care homes who are in receipt of pension credit are not entitled to a winter fuel payment. This is because historically people living in a care home and in receipt of an income-related benefit have received public funding for their care and accommodation costs including heating. Originally this was through the income-related benefit itself but for many years now has been through funding from the local authority. This is still the case for the vast majority of residents of care homes receiving pension credit and therefore the winter fuel payment is not payable in these cases.

Winter Fuel Payments: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received a winter fuel payment in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: In winter 2006-07, 17,500 people in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and 44,800 people in the London borough of Bexley received a winter fuel payment. We expect the numbers to be similar for this winter.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	 Source:
	Information directorate 100 per cent. data.

Winter Fuel Payments: Inflation

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will link the winter fuel payment to the rate of inflation.

Mike O'Brien: The winter fuel payment provides a significant contribution to an older person's winter fuel bill. The payment has increased significantly since its introduction, rising from £20 to £200 for households with someone aged 60 to 79 and £300 for households with someone aged 80 or over. We currently have no plans to link the payment to the rate of inflation although we keep these issues under consideration.

Winter Fuel Payments: Stockton-on-Tees

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners received the £200 winter fuel payment in Stockton South constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: A £200 winter fuel payment is paid to a person aged 60 or over living at home (£100 if they share a home with someone else eligible for a winter fuel payment—this may be a spouse, partner, sibling or friend). £300 is payable to a person aged 80 or over (£150 if they share a home with another eligible person).
	In winter 2006-07, a total of 17,790 people in the Stockton, South constituency received a winter fuel payment. We expect the number to be similar for this winter.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	 Source:
	Information directorate 100 per cent. data.

JUSTICE

Broadmoor Prison: Day Release

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the effectiveness of the operation of the day release system at Broadmoor Prison in light of the reconviction of Shaun Jarvis for crimes committed while on day release.

David Hanson: The hon. Member is referring to Dartmoor prison.
	The Release on Temporary Licence system (Maintain Family Ties—ROTL), at Dartmoor operates under Prison Service Order 6300. This provides release on temporary licence to certain prisoners. It gives guidance and describes the mandatory actions required to progress a prisoner's resettlement/rehabilitation needs, whilst at the same time minimising any risk to the public. The PSO is a national document which provides the only means by which a prisoner can be released while in custody.
	A prisoner is only released on ROTL following a thorough risk assessment undertaken by a specially convened Board which examines the risks posed as was the case at Dartmoor.
	The Governor and Area Manager are satisfied that the arrangements in place for day release are robust. As evidence of this there was only one Temporary Licence Failure out of over 4800 licences issued by HMP Dartmoor in 2007.

Community Legal Service: Contracts

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms of solicitors held community legal services contracts for the supply of criminal law advice and representation in the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Contracts for the supply of criminal law advice and representation are held with the Criminal Defence Service (CDS). The CDS contracts with solicitors' offices rather than firms, and a firm may have more than one office. 2,223 took up new contracts to supply such services with effect from 14 January 2008, after the latest round of tendering.

Community Legal Service: Contracts

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms of solicitors held community legal services contracts to supply criminal law advice and representation in 2005.

Maria Eagle: Contracts for the supply of criminal law advice and representation are held with the Criminal Defence Service (CDS). The CDS contracts with solicitors' offices rather than firms, and a firm may have more than one office. 2,643 held such contracts to supply criminal law advice and representation as at 31 March 2005.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of his Department's civil servants have been  (a) suspended and  (b) dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material on work computers in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The ex-DCA does not hold the information centrally in the format requested. This could be obtained at only disproportionate cost. A system has recently been put in place to record such information. It is in the process of being updated, but from October 2007 to date, there have been no dismissals for IT mis-use.
	For NOMS and OCJR, there have no suspensions or dismissals on either ground in the period January 2005 to date. Prior to this the information was not held centrally in the format requested, and could be obtained at only disproportionate cost.
	For the Prison Service, the information on suspensions is not held centrally and could be provided at only disproportionate cost.
	According to centrally held records, 13 staff were dismissed for inappropriate use of Prison Service IT between 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2007. A breakdown of these dismissals, for each of the last five financial years, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of dismissals 
			 2002-03 2 
			 2003-04 1 
			 2004-05 1 
			 2005-06 7 
			 2006-07 3

Departmental Impact Assessments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many regulatory impact assessments his Department has conducted in the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: Information on the final regulatory impact assessments published between 1 January and 30 June 2007 can be found in Command Paper 7297 available at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm72/7297/7297.pdf
	For the period covered by the Command Paper, the department published seventeen impact assessments. The hon. Member will find these under the entry for the former Department for Constitutional Affairs. Departments are in the process of identifying the final impact assessments published between 1 July and 31 December 2007. From April 2008, all final impact assessment will be published on a central website.
	I have included in my answer a table of the final impact assessments published in the Command Paper, and for completeness the partial impact assessments published by this Department since its creation on 9 May 2007. This does include both regulatory impact assessments and impact assessments developed initially by the Department for Constitutional Affairs but which the Ministry of Justice has carried forward.
	
		
			  Regulatory impact assessments  Web address  Dated published: 
			  Final Impact Assessments published in Command Paper 7297   
			 Local Land Charge Fees: Guidance for registering authorities on setting fees for local land charge services in England http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/land_fees/response2506.pdf January 2007 
			 Increasing penalties for deliberate and wilful misuse of personal data http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/misuse_data/Regulatory-Impact-Assessment.pdf February 2007 
			 Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill Overarching RIA http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-1.pdf June 2007 
			 Youth Rehabilitation Orders http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-1.pdf June 2007 
			 Sentencing and Appeals Provisions http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-1.pdf June 2007 
			 Modification of power to make Referral Order http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-1.pdf June 2007 
			 Access by Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) to Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) records http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-1.pdf June 2007 
			 Youth Conditional Caution http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-1.pdf June 2007 
			 Extension of powers of CPS designated caseworkers http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-1.pdf June 2007 
			 Criminal Legal Aid http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-1.pdf June 2007 
			 Miscarriages of Justice compensation http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-2.pdf June 2007 
			 Extreme pornographic material http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-2.pdf June 2007 
			 Prostitution http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-2.pdf June 2007 
			 Premises Closure Orders http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-2.pdf June 2007 
			 Statutory one year review of juvenile Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-2.pdf June 2007 
			 Special Immigration Status http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-2.pdf June 2007 
			 Violent Offender Orders http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/regulatory-impact-assess-2.pdf June 2007 
			  Partial Impact Assessments published with consultation papers   
			 Regulation of Enforcement Agents http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp0207.htm 30 January 2007 
			 Draft Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limits and Fees) Regulations 2007 http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp2806.htm 29 March 2007 
			 Part 46 of the Civil Procedure Rules: Fast Track Trial Costs http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp0607.htm 3 April 2007 
			 Cost Recovery in Pro Bono Assisted Cases. Proposals for Primary Legislation http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp0707.htm 16 April 2007 
			 Case Tracks Limits and the Claims Process for Personal Injury Claims http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/cp0807.pdf 20 April 2007 
			 Wrongful Death and Bereavement Damages http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/damages/cp0907.pdf 4 May 2007 
			 Psychiatric Illness http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/damages/cp0907.pdf 4 May 2007 
			 Accommodation Expenses and Gratuitous Care http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/damages/cp0907.pdf 4 May 2007 
			 Confidence and Confidentiality: Openness in Family Courts a new approach. http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/consult-family-courts.pdf 20 June 2007 
			 Cremation Regulations Consolidation and Modernisation http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp1107.htm 16 July 2007 
			 Conditional Fee Agreements in Publication Proceedings: Success Fees and After the Event Insurance http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp1607.htm 9 August 2007 
			 Criminal Defence Service: Recovery of Defence Costs Orders http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp2007.htm 30 August 2007 
			 The Debt Claim Process: Helping people in debt to engage with the problem, http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp2207.htm 5 September 2007 
			 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Code of Practice and Regulations http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp2307.htm 10 September(1) 
			 Quality Assurance for Advocates http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp1307.htm 17 September 2007 
			 Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 -Relevant Third Party http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp3107.htm 12 December 2007 
			 Public Law Family Fees http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp3207.htm 19 December 2007 
			 Local Authority Charges for Property Search Services http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/lacpssl80108.htm 18 January 2008(2) 
			  Published alongside Ministry of Justice legislation   
			 The Legal Services Act http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/RIA-Supplement-v021.pdf —(3) 
			 (1) 2007 Impact assessment development led by DH with MoJ support. (2) A joint consultation with Communities and Local Government, but impact assessment developed by MoJ. (3) A supplement to the original regulatory impact assessment accompany the bill was published in June 2007.

Departmental Travel

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1186W, on departmental travel, what his Department's expenditure on travel and subsistence was in financial year 2006-07.

Maria Eagle: The spend on travel and subsistence in 2006-07 was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Former DCA - staff 4,028,810 
			 Former DCA - judicial 381,443 
			 HMCS - staff 8,765,601 
			 HMCS - judicial 3,449,142 
			 Tribunals - staff 3,420,951 
			 Tribunals - judicial 7,325,767 
			 OPG 26,918 
			 OCJR 682,500 
			 NOMS - staff 3,221,798 
			 NOMS - programme 2,444,486 
			 Custodial Property - staff 177,925 
			 HMPS 19,048,191 
			 Total 52,973,532 
		
	
	The Department has published rules for official travel in its staff handbook, and all travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the "Civil Service Management Code".
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Electoral Systems

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to publish the Government Review of Electoral Systems.

Michael Wills: The Government published the Review of the experience of the new voting systems introduced in the United Kingdom since 1997 on 24 January this year. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made upon publication,  Official Report, column 61WS.

Freedom of Information

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many freedom of information (FOI) requests the Open Government Unit received in each year since 2005; how many requests the unit took longer than  (a) six months and  (b) 12 months to respond to; and how many FOI requests the unit has failed to respond to.

Jack Straw: Requests for information made to the National Offender Management Service under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 are processed centrally by the Open Government Unit (OGU). OGU received 508 requests in 2005, 1,130 in 2006, and 870 between January and September 2007. These are extracted from the latest certified Ministry of Justice returns which are published at quarterly intervals. The next figures covering the period up to the end of 2007 will be issued at the end of March / early April 2008. Of these 2,508 requests, 84 took longer than six months and nine longer than 12 months to respond to, the remaining requests were responded to in under six months.

Internet: Pornography

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions there were and  (b) successful convictions were obtained for the publication or distribution of obscene matter or offensive material on the internet in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to the publication or distribution of obscene or offensive material in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2006 can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings data are unable to separately identify those offences which relate specifically to the internet as the offences used are not internet specific.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts( 1)  and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to the publications or distribution of obscene or offensive material in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2006( 1,2,3) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 2004 343 232 
			 2005 512 368 
			 2006 761 516 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3 )The offences used are not internet specific, the court proceedings database is unable to separately identify those offences which relate to internet based offences. (4) Includes the following statutes and offence description: Obscene Publications Act 1959 S.2(1)—Publishing obscene material. Having obscene article for publication for gain. Obscene Publications Act 1959 S.2—Having negative for publication of obscene article for gain. Communications Act 2003 S.127(1)(a)—Send by means of electronic communications network a message/matter which was grossly offensive or of an indecent/obscene/menacing character. Communications Act 2003 S.127(l)(b)—Cause to be sent by means of an electronic communications network a message/matter which was grossly offensive or of an indecent/obscene/menacing character.  Malicious Communications Act 1988 S.1(1)(b)—Sending article which is in whole or in part indecent or grossly offensive.  Source:  Court Proceedings Database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice

Legal Profession

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many solicitors have ceased providing legal services to clients who require legal aid in  (a) total,  (b) England and  (c) Wales in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: Figures cannot be given for individual solicitors but only solicitor offices. They reflect the aggregate of decisions made by many individuals and hence are subject to frequent amendment as and when new information becomes available.
	The reductions in the number of solicitor offices, for both civil and criminal legal aid in the last three years is as set out in the following table. The figures reflect the trend of the last several years for offices doing small amounts of legally aided work to drop out of the market or merge with other offices, so that work is done in larger volumes at fewer offices.
	This trend has not affected significantly the ability of the public to obtain legal aid conveniently when they require it. 95 per cent. of the population of England and Wales live within five miles of a legal aid provider and the total number of acts of assistance given by providers has increased.
	A solicitor office may hold both a civil and a criminal contract and the aggregate of civil and criminal offices does not reflect the total number of them. Neither is the location of a solicitor office necessarily an indication of where providers carry work out. A provider in England could carry out work in Wales and vice versa.
	
		
			   2006-07  2005-06  2004-05 
			 Total spend (£ million net cash) 1,980 2,028 2,038 
			 
			  Total reduction
			 Criminal 98 35 26 
			 Civil(1) 195 357 312 
			 
			  England reduction
			 Criminal 85 30 6 
			 Civil(1) 186 340 297 
			 
			  Wales reduction
			 Criminal 13 5 20 
			 Civil(1) 9 17 15 
			 (1) Excludes not for profit sector

Legal Services Commission: Contracts

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms of solicitors held contracts with the Legal Services Commission for the supply of legal advice in family law matters in 2006.

Maria Eagle: Contracts for the supply of legal advice in family law matters are held with the Community Legal Service (CLS). The CLS contracts with solicitors' offices rather than firms and they may have more than one. 2,881 solicitors' offices held contracts with the Legal Services Commission for the supply of legal advice in family law matters as at 31 March 2006.

Mineral Waters

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many litres of bottled water were purchased by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: My Department does not hold central records of the number of litres of bottled water purchased over the past three years. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In response to the Act on CO2 Campaign the Ministry of Justice took steps in August 2007 to reduce its use of bottled water in meetings, and continues to look at further reductions in the use of bottled water where it is practicable to do so.

Ministerial Champion for Women and Criminal Justice

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what meetings the hon. Member for Liverpool, Garston has attended since 1 December 2007 in her role as Ministerial Champion for Women and Criminal Justice.

Maria Eagle: I have had meetings with the following stakeholders in my role as Ministerial Champion for Women in the Criminal Justice System.
	The Minster for Women and Equality
	The Attorney General and the Solicitor General
	Right Hon Baroness Corston
	Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust
	Frances Crook, Director of the Howard League for Penal Reform
	The Royal College of Nursing (in prisons)
	The Bishop for Prisons
	Regional Offender Managers
	The Right hon. Lord Bradley
	The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health
	The Inter Ministerial Group on Reducing Reoffending
	The Director General of the Prison Service
	The Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service
	The Chief Inspector of Prisons
	The Director of Probation
	The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
	First inter-ministerial subgroup for overseeing implementation of the Corston recommendations
	Ministerial Roundtable on Suicide
	I have also established an Inter-Ministerial Sub-Group on Women Offenders and the implementation of the Corston Review.

Prisoners: Ex-servicemen

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of current inmates of prisons in England and Wales who served in the UK armed forces in either of the conflicts in the Gulf.

David Hanson: This information is not collected centrally. Data from nationally representative surveys of some 2,000 sentenced prisoners near release conducted in 2001, 2003 and 2004 show the proportion of prisoners who had previously served in the armed forces as 6 per cent., 4 per cent. and 5 per cent. respectively. However, there are no estimates available for the proportion of veterans in custody who have served in specific conflicts.

Prisoners: Self-mutilation

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many recorded self-harm incidents there were in each prison in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Recorded self-harm incidents( 1)  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Altcourse 168 166 122 219 215 
			 Askham Grange 1 0 2 1 0 
			 Acklington 28 47 79 102 52 
			 Albany 69 94 37 18 38 
			 Ashfield 286 239 172 224 142 
			 Ashwell 2 7 9 1 16 
			 Aylesbury 22 83 116 346 265 
			 Belmarsh 74 123 91 76 89 
			 Buckley Hall 765 1,082 597 43 23 
			 Blundeston 18 19 12 16 18 
			 Bedford 120 123 117 152 159 
			 Brockhill 674 475 278 252 0 
			 Bristol 95 156 190 102 164 
			 Birmingham 117 97 210 604 530 
			 Bullingdon 48 37 50 42 81 
			 Brinsford 70 23 73 102 86 
			 Blakenhurst 463 322 152 178 211 
			 Bullwood Hall 659 1,065 1,584 320 7 
			 Brixton 119 69 88 25 49 
			 Bronzefield (2)n/a (2)274 831 1,165 1,743 
			 Chelmsford 43 70 98 137 132 
			 Cardiff 56 99 74 96 27 
			 Camp Hill 76 26 31 15 43 
			 Cookham Wood 158 163 197 144 216 
			 Coldingley 0 5 0 2 4 
			 Castington 93 89 92 106 68 
			 Channings Wood 11 12 26 51 32 
			 Canterbury 3 12 12 15 11 
			 Dartmoor 35 31 46 67 51 
			 Dovegate 163 100 174 210 156 
			 Drake Hall 18 23 44 22 56 
			 Durham 540 417 374 274 216 
			 Doncaster 318 370 336 276 269 
			 Dorchester 39 62 38 54 55 
			 Deerbolt 68 59 104 131 99 
			 Downview 185 71 362 282 254 
			 Erlestoke 5 0 4 7 25 
			 Standford Hill 1 0 2 0 0 
			 East Sutton Park 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Everthorpe 4 9 16 28 41 
			 Eastwood Park 789 1,163 2,597 2,147 2,013 
			 Exeter 31 65 107 85 56 
			 Elmley 23 83 138 93 95 
			 Forest Bank 214 257 200 333 317 
			 Ford 7 8 1 5 3 
			 Foston Hall 185 614 774 614 1,168 
			 Frankland 32 106 182 223 343 
			 Feltham 104 161 144 126 220 
			 Full Sutton 50 55 143 82 109 
			 Featherstone 32 18 12 28 43 
			 Garth 14 55 51 56 41 
			 Gloucester 100 87 115 83 90 
			 Guys Marsh 34 17 13 38 82 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 13 2 2 7 14 
			 Glen Parva 197 217 232 149 249 
			 Gartree 16 11 13 19 51 
			 Hollesley Bay 5 0 0 2 1 
			 Huntercombe 56 73 69 67 86 
			 Moorland Open (Hatfield) 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Holme House 61 96 65 109 88 
			 Hindley 76 46 156 71 41 
			 Hull 152 178 208 124 143 
			 High Down 112 193 118 204 151 
			 Highpoint 140 33 30 71 60 
			 Haslar 5 6 2 4 4 
			 Haverigg 9 3 12 5 36 
			 Holloway 958 1,184 1,402 1,475 1,106 
			 Kirkham 2 1 3 3 0 
			 Kennet 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Lancaster 1 2 4 6 7 
			 Leicester 127 141 138 174 155 
			 Leeds 317 388 223 150 146 
			 Lancaster Farms 23 15 92 153 21 
			 Lowdham Grange 4 16 19 30 42 
			 Lindholme 9 13 18 36 57 
			 Lincoln 120 162 141 166 219 
			 Long Lartin 15 12 15 14 93 
			 Latchmere House 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Low Newton 387 800 1,129 746 982 
			 Liverpool 374 339 280 177 132 
			 Littlehey 48 139 128 166 117 
			 Lewes 128 181 135 124 79 
			 Leyhill 0 1 2 5 4 
			 Moorland 188 100 149 124 152 
			 Morton Hall 63 50 49 81 59 
			 Manchester 324 255 238 259 275 
			 Maidstone 9 13 27 41 28 
			 Mount 13 26 31 20 29 
			 Edmunds Hill 156 207 13 17 23 
			 New Hall 1,689 1,125 1,065 1,266 1,193 
			 Nottingham 175 135 101 162 191 
			 Northallerton 28 60 16 35 30 
			 North Sea Camp 1 0 1 0 1 
			 Norwich 214 291 345 510 261 
			 Onley 195 86 88 102 160 
			 Peterborough 0 0 973 1,329 1,245 
			 Portland 58 119 110 161 173 
			 Parkhurst 182 140 85 160 150 
			 Preston 146 100 126 238 241 
			 Parc 326 251 368 285 189 
			 Kingston 2 11 15 16 16 
			 Pentonville 186 104 241 295 205 
			 Rochester 9 58 18 50 45 
			 Reading 21 39 60 45 38 
			 Rye Hill 46 147 198 85 86 
			 Ranby 11 7 8 30 40 
			 Risley 34 31 47 41 40 
			 Send 78 78 97 200 155 
			 Stafford 40 75 82 68 99 
			 Stoke Heath 168 250 192 217 227 
			 Stocken 32 18 37 29 48 
			 Swaleside 29 34 13 36 85 
			 Shepton Mallet 1 6 2 13 7 
			 Swinfen Hall 69 107 97 85 130 
			 Styal 376 1,061 1,416 1,581 1,324 
			 Sudbury 1 0 1 1 1 
			 Swansea 62 33 64 63 50 
			 Shrewsbury 38 67 65 60 82 
			 Thorn Cross 1 3 1 3 4 
			 Usk/Prescoed 1 1 1 0 5 
			 Verne 9 3 8 5 0 
			 Weare 18 28 10 0 0 
			 Wellingborough 21 23 11 46 28 
			 Winchester 299 260 153 155 82 
			 Wakefield 50 91 151 187 120 
			 Wealstun 15 10 35 33 45 
			 Woodhill 28 81 124 130 188 
			 Warren Hill 8 21 14 18 13 
			 Wayland 25 30 44 60 32 
			 Wymott 4 11 90 66 94 
			 Werrington 2 13 30 24 12 
			 Wolds 10 6 6 16 19 
			 Whitemoor 84 100 156 131 83 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 190 127 115 126 120 
			 Whatton 1 8 3 17 70 
			 Wandsworth 54 194 55 60 141 
			 Wetherby 19 60 67 34 12 
			 Total 16,393 19,214 23,465 22,891 22,459 
			 (1 )The Prison Service/NOMS defines self-harm as any incident where a prisoner deliberately harms( )themselves irrespective of method, intent or severity of any injury.( )The numbers of self-harm incidents reported here are based on information supplied by prisons( )through the Prison Service incident reporting system. Many self-harm incidents often involve( )the same individuals, and changing numbers of incidents at different prisons can reflect the( )movement of such prisoners. Also, some prisons have re-rolled during the time period and( )therefore caution needs to be taken when interpreting rises and falls. Apparent dramatic( )declines in numbers may illustrate the impact of re-rolling from female to male prisons. Self-( )harm is a high volume incident that can be subject to technical and recording problems. While( )the system provides a sensible indication of the scale of self-harm the numbers of incidents( )should not be treated as absolute. (2) Bronzefield opened June 2004.

Prisons: Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on implementing equality and diversity policies in each prison in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: It is not possible to disaggregate the sums spent on implementing equality and diversity policies in each prison. HM Prison Service takes very seriously its legal duty to promote equality and tackle unlawful discrimination, and this forms an integral part of the work of all managers and members of staff in prisons.
	In terms of the resources dedicated to equality and diversity, figures are not collected centrally, and to do so would be at disproportionate cost.
	Each prison has as a sub-group of its senior management team, a Race equality action team, led by the governor or deputy governor, which meets regularly to oversee work on race equality. Each prison also has a race equality officer, which is a full-time or equivalent post in 74 prisons, and a part-time role in the others. Many establishments also have parallel structures for the management of other diversity strands, with diversity action teams meeting regularly, and diversity managers, disability officers and/or equal opportunities officers, some of which are full-time posts and others part-time roles.

Prisons: Food

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average spend by his Department per prisoner per day on food was in each prison in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the average daily cost of food for prisoners whose meals are directly provided by the public Prison Service for the last five years for which data is available. Figures for contracted out prisons were provided by the Minister of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Delyn (Mr. Hanson), on 26 February 2008,  Official Report, column l504W.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03 
			 Acklington 1.75 1.80 1.58 1.57 1.40 
			 Ashwell 1.75 1.96 1.85 1.96 2.08 
			 Askham Grange 1.66 1.41 2.02 1.49 1.81 
			 Aylesbury 2.29 1.88 1.76 1.58 1.66 
			 Bedford 2.15 2.10 1.96 1.85 1.82 
			 Belmarsh 2.50 2.21 1.94 2.12 1.62 
			 Birmingham 1.91 1.87 1.88 1.52 1.48 
			 Blantyre House 1.66 1.54 1.46 1.40 1.54 
			 Blundeston 2.16 2.06 2.08 2.06 1.62 
			 Brinsford 2.29 1.89 1.75 1.68 1.80 
			 Bristol 1.89 1.82 1.58 1.58 1.53 
			 Brixton 1.71 1.62 1.63 1.58 1.51 
			 Brockhill 1.48 1.94 2.59 1.84 1.90 
			 Bullwood Hall 1.95 1.98 2.62 2.45 2.34 
			 Canterbury 2.30 2.12 2.12 1.98 1.96 
			 Cardiff 1.76 1.76 1.63 1.67 1.53 
			 Castington 1.98 2.05 2.03 1.85 2.47 
			 Channings Wood 1.66 1.74 1.72 1.58 1.43 
			 Chelmsford 1.69 2.11 2.20 2.08 1.68 
			 Coldingley 2.19 2.08 2.05 1.96 1.76 
			 Dartmoor 1.88 1.88 1.79 1.71 1.63 
			 Deerbolt 2.18 2.00 1.97 1.63 1.77 
			 Dorchester 2.11 1.75 1.80 1.80 1.65 
			 Dover 2.08 2.36 2.47 2.22 1.31 
			 Downview 2.09 1.87 1.88 1.97 1.90 
			 Drake Hall 2.46 2.22 1.73 1.76 1.67 
			 Durham 1.89 1.72 2.09 1.82 2.01 
			 East Sutton Park 1.54 2.30 2.31 2.08 2.02 
			 Eastwood Park 1.80 1.89 1.77 1.85 2.07 
			 Elmley (inc. Standford Hill) 1.93 2.83 1.93 1.86 1.62 
			 Erlestoke 2.25 2.00 1.96 1.80 1.48 
			 Everthorpe 1.88 1.74 1.86 1.84 1.47 
			 Exeter 2.07 1.95 1.89 1.65 1.46 
			 Featherstone 1.86 1.74 1.72 1.58 1.71 
			 Feltham 2.77 2.71 3.41 3.00 2.39 
			 Ford 2.06 1.76 1.94 1.90 1.65 
			 Foston Hall 2.22 1.83 1.91 1.75 1.56 
			 Frankland 2.00 2.21 1.67 1.98 1.98 
			 Full Sutton 2.15 2.01 1.76 1.73 1.87 
			 Garth 2.01 1.74 1.69 1.57 1.69 
			 Gartree 1.89 2.08 2.07 1.72 1.84 
			 Glen Parva 1.91 2.01 1.88 1.94 2.01 
			 Gloucester 2.06 2.06 1.96 1.95 1.97 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 1.13 1.79 1.86 1.81 1.59 
			 Guys Marsh 2.03 1.97 1.91 1.93 1.82 
			 Haslar 2.33 1.68 1.53 1.62 1.94 
			 Haverigg 1.91 1.74 1.81 1.72 1.59 
			 Hewell Grange 2.45 2.52 1.61 1.51 1.53 
			 High Down 1.94 2.01 2.04 1.89 1.87 
			 Highpoint (inc Edmunds Hill) 2.06 2.53 1.96 1.90 1.28 
			 Hindley 1.95 1.89 2.25 1.99 1.89 
			 Hollesley Bay (inc Warren Hill) 1.09 1.99 1.81 1.55 1.35 
			 Holloway 2.41 2.52 2.42 1.84 1.89 
			 Hull 1.81 2.05 1.83 1.85 1.43 
			 Huntercombe 2.90 3.54 3.33 2.59 2.65 
			 Kingston 2.33 2.10 2.07 2.62 2.49 
			 Kirkham 2.91 2.72 1.98 2.13 1.93 
			 Kirklevington 1.71 1.68 1.66 1.55 1.20 
			 Lancaster Castle 2.40 1.95 1.55 1.65 1.53 
			 Latchmere House 1.11 1.27 1.20 1.46 1.33 
			 Leeds 1.82 1.64; 1.56 1.60 1.41 
			 Leicester 1.90 2.01 1.93 1.86 1.94 
			 Lewes 2.16 2.05 2.15 2.02 1.98 
			 Leyhill 2.04 2.61 1.56 1.30 1.27 
			 Lincoln 1.56 1.70 1.62 1.47 1.77 
			 Lindholme 1.68 1.60 1.82 2.12 2.14 
			 Littlehey 1.67 1.65 1.52 1.43 1.40 
			 Liverpool 1.86 1.83 1.87 1.96 1.77 
			 Long Lartin 2.33 2.01 1.97 1.85 2.51 
			 Low Newton 2.40 2.41 2.28 1.63 1.69 
			 Maidstone 1.84 1.73 1.71 1.74 1.63 
			 Manchester 1.96 1.98 1.73 1.97 1.89 
			 Moorland (closed + open) 2.32 2.31 1.71 2.36 2.33 
			 Morton Hall 1.88 1.81 1.99 1.63 1.28 
			 Mount 2.01 1.92 1.79 1.67 1.61 
			 New Hall 2.00 2.13 2.13 2.10 1.96 
			 North Sea Camp 1.84 2.11 1.69 1.60 1.41 
			 Northallerton 1.83 1.57 2.22 1.71 1.40 
			 Norwich 2.04 1.57 1.49 1.63 1.62 
			 Nottingham 1.98 2.04 1.67 1.76 1.82 
			 Onley 2.10 2.00 2.43 2.78 2.27 
			 Parkhurst (inc. Albany and Camp Hill) 2.00 2.03 1.83 1.68 1.61 
			 Pentonville 1.78 1.84 1.79 1.73 1.62 
			 Portland 2.01 2.00 2.35 1.70 1.86 
			 Preston 2.08 2.22 2.09 2.08 1.66 
			 Ranby 1.89 2.07 1.66 1.86 1.72 
			 Reading 2.12 1.89 1.36 1.36 1.36 
			 Risley 1.97 1.79 1.79 1.84 1.52 
			 Rochester (inc. Cookham Wood) 2.63 2.50 2.46 1.92 1.85 
			 Send 2.45 2.40 2.23 1.97 1.84 
			 Shepton Mallet 1.91 1.91 1.90 1.66 1.72 
			 Shrewsbury 1.95 1.56 1.87 1.65 1.78 
			 Stafford 2.14 1.65 1.53 1.58 1.74 
			 Stocken 1.85 2.04 1.84 1.81 1.75 
			 Stoke Heath 2.17 2.09 2.18 2.02 1.81 
			 Styal 2.17 2.24 2.42 2.09 2.01 
			 Sudbury 1.82 1.53 1.48 1.52 1.53 
			 Swaleside 1.72 1.68 1.61 1.60 1.67 
			 Swansea 1.81 1.75 1.63 1.86 1.89 
			 Swinfen Hall 2.03 2.34 1.77 1.82 2.13 
			 Thorn Cross 2.35 1.97 1.83 1.62 1.84 
			 Usk and Frescoed 1.57 1.66 1.61 1.45 1.21 
			 Verne 1.77 1.69 1.71 1.52 1.58 
			 Wakefield 1.65 1.28 1.49 1.67 1.65 
			 Wandsworth 2.16 1.79 1.64 1.79 1.71 
			 Wayland 2.18 2.04 2.04 1.95 1.72 
			 Wealstun 1.99 2.05 1.81 1.88 1.76 
			 Weare (1)— (1)— 1.87 1.74 1.79 
			 Wellingborough 2.22 2.03 2.09 1.94 2.03 
			 Wellington 2.07 1.96 2.16 1.69 2.26 
			 Wetherby 2.57 2.24 1.94 2.16 2.52 
			 Whatton 1.67 1.32 1.60 1.58 1.19 
			 Whitemoor 1.99 1.80 1.71 1.73 1.73 
			 Winchester 2.52 1.99 2.03 1.99 1.69 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 1.87 2.03 2.03 2.06 1.91 
			 Wymott 1.86 1.77 1.73 1.74 1.63 
			 (1) Closed.

Prisons: Nutrition

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what requirements there are on  (a) prisons and  (b) young offender institutions to act upon nutritional guidance offered by the Food Standards Agency in respect of food provision for (i) older people and (ii) adults in institutions.

Maria Eagle: HM Prison Service has recently completed a routine review of its catering policy and a revised Prison Service Order (PSO 5000 the Catering Manual) will be published shortly. The revised PSO includes additional guidance from the Food Standards Agency to further help prison caterers in England and Wales provide food that meets the nutritional needs of all prisoners.

Shoplifting

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people  (a) were cautioned,  (b) received a penalty notice for disorder and  (c) were convicted for shoplifting in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested covering cautions, convictions and penalty notices for disorder (PNDS) for the years 2004-06 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned, defendants found guilty and penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued for shoplifting, England and Wales 2004-06( 1,2) 
			   Cautioned  Found guilty  PNDs issued 
			 2004 41,165 69,542 (3)2,072 
			 2005 44,012 64,076 21,997 
			 2006 45,054 58,536 38,772 
			 (1) The cautions and found guilty data are provided on the principal offence basis. PND data is a count of all penalty notices for disorder issued during the year. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The offence of retail theft (goods of value under 200) was added to the PND scheme on 1 November 2004.  Source:  Court proceedings and penalty notices for disorder databases—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Solicitors: Negligence

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to remove the 15 year rule for negligence of solicitors under the Limitation Act 1980.

Bridget Prentice: The Limitation Act 1980 sets out time limits for bringing certain types of civil claim. These include claims arising from negligence including negligence on the part of professionals such as solicitors. In certain specific circumstances, the Act imposes a 15 year 'long stop' limitation period which operates to bar claims where the claimant has not discovered the damage complained of until after the 'primary' limitation period has expired.
	The Law Commission has made recommendations to reform the law of limitation. These include reducing the 15 year period described above to 10 years. The Government have accepted these recommendations in principle and is currently preparing a consultation paper which will seek views on a draft Bill to implement them. Any changes to the law will be made after full consultation.

Television

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many plasma television screens have been purchased by his Department, its predecessor and its agencies, and at what cost in the last 24 months.

Maria Eagle: The MOJ has purchased 397 plasma television screens in the last 24 months at a total cost of £516,478. This excludes HM Prisons and NOMS, who are unable to answer without attracting disproportionate costs. HM Courts Service bought the majority of the screens as part of the Videolinks Project, which allows vulnerable witnesses to take part in trials without actually being present. Videolinks also connects to a number of prisons, which saves money by allowing certain meetings and proceedings to occur which would otherwise require prisoner transport and accommodation.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether civil servants who are trades union officers in his Department are permitted to use  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid leave to engage in political activities.

Jack Straw: Civil Servants in my Department who are trades union officers are provided with time off to undertake trade union duties through a facility agreement. The facility agreement does not provide for paid or unpaid leave to engage in political activities.
	The extent to which a member of staff is permitted to use either paid or unpaid leave to engage in political activities is determined by whether their role is categorised as 'politically free' (broadly comprising all prison officer grades, industrial staff and operational support grades), 'politically restricted' (broadly comprising senior management grades) or 'intermediate' (broadly non-operational administrative staff and junior managers).
	Subject to these conditions. Civil Servants in my Department may apply for either paid or unpaid time off to engage in political activities. Regulations regarding political activities are contained in the staff handbook and apply to all staff, including those engaged in trade union activities.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester, of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 205W, on trades unions, whether those recognition agreements permit employees of his Department to take  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid leave to undertake political officer duties for those unions.

Jack Straw: Trade Union recognition agreements in my Department do not include regulation of political activities, which are covered by the staff handbook.

Video Games: Prosecutions

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions were brought against retailers who sold video games and DVDs to underage customers in each year since 1997; and what proportion of those cases were successful.

Maria Eagle: Data on the number of prosecutions and convictions under the Video Recording Act 1984, as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, in England and Wales 1997 to 2006 can be found in the table.
	Information available to the Ministry of Justice relating to the Video Recording Act 1984 and amendments do not give the age of the customer, only the defendant. It is also not possible from the information held to distinguish prosecutions from other offences under the Act for the sale of video games or DVD's.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Video Recording Act 1984, as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, in England and Wales 1997-2006( 1,2,3,4) 
			   Prosecuted  Found guilty  Proportion (%) successful (i.e. number found guilty as a proportion of those prosecuted) 
			 1997 161 146 91 
			 1998 141 127 90 
			 1999 225 163 72 
			 2000(5) 187 167 89 
			 2001 167 149 89 
			 2002 157 139 89 
			 2003 124 102 82 
			 2004 169 132 78 
			 2005 101 89 88 
			 2006 104 81 78 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Some of the statistics relate to illegal sales but it is not possible to tell whether these were necessarily sales to children. (4) Includes the following statutes and offence description: Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 11 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88(4). Supplying video recording of classified work in breach of classification. Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 9 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88. Supplying video recording of unclassified work. Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 10 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88. Persons video recording of unclassified work for the purpose of supply. Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 12 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88(5). Certain video recordings only to be supplied in licensed sex shops. Video Recording Act 1984 Sec 13. Supply of video recording not complying with requirements as to labels etc. Video Recording Act 1984, Sec 14 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec 88(6). Supply of video recordings containing false indication as to classification. (5) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source:  Court Proceedings Database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Capita

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been paid to Capita for its education services in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Our finance system can only produce information from April 1999 onwards.
	The amounts paid to Capita listed in the following table show the total amount paid to Capita Group plc and its subsidiaries in each financial year since 1999. The amounts may include payments for services other than educational services as we are unable to differentiate between payments for educational services and those for other types of service.
	
		
			  £ 
			 1999-2000 13,628,872 
			 2000-01 26,365,741 
			 2001-02 42,377,830 
			 2002-03 27,050,920 
			 2003-04 35,895,108 
			 2004-05 211,887,690 
			 2005-06 198,944,409 
			 2006-07 114,262,373 
			 2007-08 96,520,046 
		
	
	The expenditure relates to payments recorded in the Department's integrated financial information system and credited against Capita Group plc or its subsidiaries. The figure for 2007-08 is for amounts credited up to December 2007.

Children in Care: Jersey

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many local authorities in England with responsibility for children's services have placed children in the care of the States of Jersey since 1980; and what steps are being taken to ascertain the whereabouts of those people placed in care.

Kevin Brennan: No provisions exist in law for the responsibility for children in care to be transferred from English local authorities to the States of Jersey.
	Any English local authority proposing to make arrangements for a child in care to be placed outside the jurisdiction of England and Wales (which includes placing a child in Crown Dependencies such as Jersey) requires the permission of a court, the child's consent, and the permission of all those with parental responsibility for the child, before doing so. The placing local authority retains parental responsibility for the child in such cases, which includes the responsibility for safeguarding them and promoting their welfare, as well as (since 2001) keeping in touch with care leavers until at least the age of 21. Data on the numbers of children placed in Jersey by English local authorities are not collected centrally.

Children: Databases

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when the first additional risk assessment recommended by Deloitte in its security review of ContactPoint will be completed; and whether the full report will be made public;
	(2)  how frequently ongoing security risk assessments of ContactPoint, as recommended by Deloitte, will be conducted; and whether each report will be made public in full;
	(3)  on what date the decision was made not to publish a summary of Deloitte's review of the security of ContactPoint;
	(4)  whether the summary of Deloitte's review of the security of ContactPoint placed in the Library on 21 February 2008 includes reference to each recommendation made by Deloitte in the full report;
	(5)  when he expects the ContactPoint database to become fully operational;
	(6)  what assessment has been made of the  (a) time,  (b) manpower and  (c) expenditure that will be required to implement in full the recommendations made by Deloitte in its security review of ContactPoint;
	(7)  whether  (a) Deloitte and  (b) another organisation will be commissioned to undertake a further security review of ContactPoint;
	(8)  what plans there are to upgrade the security of ContactPoint following Deloitte's security review.

Kevin Brennan: In response to question 190734, the risk assessment, recommended by Deloitte, which will look in detail at the contractor's design, will be completed by May 2008. The report will not be made public, as it will contain details of specific security arrangements. However, the ContactPoint security statement, which is publicly available, will be updated to reflect any changes made to security arrangements.
	In response to question 190735, our plans for future risk assessment are based on key project milestones. These are:
	at the end of detailed technical design;
	before the system goes live;
	at the end of the 'Early Adopter'phase; and
	when there is any significant change in the external threat level or any significant project change.
	These plans will be kept under review. Decisions about making the reports public will be taken on a case-by-case basis.
	In response to question 190736, the decision to publish only the executive summary of the Deloitte report was taken on 13 February 2008.
	In response to question 190737, the executive summary includes all the recommendations. The Government have accepted them all.
	In response to question 190738, ContactPoint is expected to be deployed to 'Early Adopter' local authorities and two of our seven national partners by the end of October 2008 and to all other local authorities and national partners in 2009.
	In response to question 190739, an interim assessment has been conducted which indicates that the recommendations can be implemented within the current planned budget and timescale. The full assessment can only be made once the updated risk assessment is completed.
	In response to question 190740, ContactPoint will continue to be reviewed by independent security experts during system build and before it is implemented. Security will, of course, be audited during operation. It has not yet been decided who will conduct further independent reviews.
	In response to question 190750, the Deloitte review did not identify any significant security issues, but made a number of minister recommendations for controls to be in place when the system goes live in addition to those already planned. The report observed that the importance of security appears to be ingrained within key areas of the ContactPoint Project. The first task, which is already under way, is to undertake an impact assessment of the detailed recommendations contained in the report.

Children: Databases

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when the ContactPoint user acceptance test referred to in the written statement of 21 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 55-8WS, on ContactPoint, will be undertaken; and what use will be made of the results;
	(2)  on what occasions ContactPoint will require  (a) hard and  (b) electronic data;
	(3)  what arrangements he has made for  (a) independent accreditation and  (b) ongoing monitoring of security procedures within organisations which have access to ContactPoint;
	(4)  what procedures will be put in place to ensure that all organisations accessing the ContactPoint database are aware of their responsibilities on security; what auditing will take place to ensure compliance; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what work has been undertaken to establish the level of risk of security breaches occurring in the ContactPoint database; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what level of security risk his Department has determined as acceptable for ContactPoint;
	(7)  what plans there are to review the role of self-certification as referred to in the written statement of 21 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 55-58WS, on ContactPoint; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  what plans he has to monitor compliance with self-certification procedures among organisations connecting to ContactPoint; and how this will be funded;
	(9)  what  (a) security,  (b) auditing and  (c) other procedures will be followed when a ContactPoint user wants to gain access to a common assessment framework assessment for a particular child.

Kevin Brennan: In response to question 190741, ContactPoint User Acceptance Testing is scheduled to take place between July and September 2008.
	We plan to engage a representative set of future ContactPoint users to:
	Verify that CP meets the stated business requirements, and its practical readiness,
	Ensure the end to end system and processes meet the defined acceptance criteria.
	User Acceptance Testing will form an important part of assessing ContactPoint is in readiness for deployment.
	In response to question 190742, all data inputs to ContactPoint will be delivered over secure electronic channels. The frequency of updates of this data will vary depending on what is practicable and desirable for each source.
	In response to question 190743,  (a) All partner organisations will be supported through their accreditation process by the local authority acting as an independent sponsor. Those performing the sponsor roles will be trained and appropriately qualified,  (b) Ongoing monitoring will be performed at multiple levels across the ContactPoint delivery structure.
	The following will be in place:
	monitoring of user access by line management;
	compliance checks—that line management is monitoring user access by each organisation's internal audit or compliance team;
	monitoring—that line management are monitoring their users by the local ContactPoint management team;
	compliance checks— that the local authority ContactPoint team is performing its monitoring role by each local authority's internal audit or compliance team;
	monitoring - that line management are monitoring their users by the local ContactPoint management team;
	compliance checks - that the local authority ContactPoint team is performing its monitoring role by each local authority's internal audit or compliance team;
	local authorities will log and monitor complaints and data subject access requests, identifying where follow up checking needs to take place;
	discussions will be held between local authority internal audit and the internal audit of those organisations using ContactPoint to ensure congruence of risk assessments and sharing of lessons learned;
	regular reviews of local authority ContactPoint team activities;
	spot checks by organisation, local authority and nationally;
	national reviews of management information based on a range of security
	parameters;
	Any areas of concern flagged by monitoring will be linked to mandatory follow-up procedures, including internal disciplinary action which could lead to dismissal and/or criminal prosecution.
	All monitoring is linked to a process of continual improvement, with the objective of strengthening the effectiveness of monitoring, detection and follow-up activity.
	In response to question 190745, accreditation will ensure a range of organisational policies and procedures are in place in each accredited organisation. These include a requirement to appoint responsible and accountable officers, to train staff, to set out accountabilities, to plan and implement a programme of inspections and audits, and to report issues to the sponsoring local authority.
	Auditing is a multi-level series of cross checks, executing monitoring activities, and checking that monitoring is taking place.
	Responsibilities will be set out clearly and will be covered in training and supporting materials (such as guidance and user manuals). Regular meetings will be used (between local authorities and partner organisations, and between the national team and local authorities) to ensure messages on responsibilities continue to be understood, to promote best practice, to raise and resolve issues around compliance, and to discuss other operational issues or difficulties.
	In response to questions 190746 and 190747, in determining the security policy for ContactPoint, the Government guidance on risk assessment and security controls set out in the Cabinet Office's Manual of Protective Security was followed. A risk assessment was carried out, in 2005, at the start of the ContactPoint project before any solution design or requirements were specified. It was updated in June 2006. Deloitte concluded that the approach followed was valid.
	ContactPoint has been designed to be highly secure and has controls at different levels to protect against security breaches. This will be kept under continuous review.
	Security is, and always has been, of paramount importance to the ContactPoint project and this was recognised in the Deloitte report.
	ContactPoint will not be deployed until it has been subject to rigorous penetration testing by people who are experts in the IT security field and approved by the Communications and Electronics Security Group.
	The Department's aim is to ensure that any potential risks from ContactPoint will be less than the risks from not having it.
	In response to questions 190748 and 190749, the accreditation plans were under development at time of the Deloitte review and indicated that self-certification would be used where appropriate in order to minimise burdens.
	Self-certification will be reviewed as part of the risk assessment scheduled to be completed by May 2008. Unacceptable risks to security will not be introduced by the use of self-certification.
	Self-certification of local partner organisations will be subject to verification by a local authority sponsor who will assure compliance with procedures. Funds have been allocated to local authorities to support these roles.
	In response to question 190751, there will be no access to the CAP itself, nor any of the details within it, from ContactPoint. If the ContactPoint user believes that they should contribute to, or see, the CAP assessment they would contact the practitioner whose details have been provided to ContactPoint as the person 'holding' the CAP.
	Practitioners will only become involved in CAP assessment with the informed, explicit consent of the child or young person (or their parent/carer where appropriate).

Departmental Accountancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what items of his Department's  (a) revenue and  (b) expenditure are uprated using (i) the consumer prices index, (ii) the retail prices index and (iii) other measures of inflation.

Kevin Brennan: The Department uses a range of indices in order to uprate the grant payments it makes to its wide range of delivery partners. Decisions on the appropriate indices to apply to the different types of grant expenditure are devolved to the individual business units within the Department and this information can be gathered only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Data Protection

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what procedures are in place in his Department to ensure that personal information relating to members of the public is  (a) stored and  (b) transported securely.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. A statement on Departments' procedures will be made on completion of the review.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether personal data for which his Department is responsible is  (a) stored and  (b) processed overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department collects and holds personal data. This data is used for a variety of purposes, including funding and for school accountability. Some of this data is stored overseas.

Departmental Email

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will take steps to reduce the number of hard copies of emails being printed unnecessarily by officials in his Department.

Kevin Brennan: The Department has already taken steps to reduce the number of hard copies of emails being printed. We provide:
	Flexible and robustly maintained systems for electronic reading, production, transfer and filing of all documents to reduce the volume and need for hardcopy prints; and
	Information and best practice techniques on how staff can help the Department reduce waste through careful use of scarce resources and new ways of working.
	To ensure sound environmental management systems are maintained we require policy leads to:
	Keep reviewing the Department's waste management policy to ensure it aligns with Government intent and adopt any new initiatives relating to waste, where appropriate;
	Encourage the generation of new ideas by staff to improve our waste handling;
	Learn from our peers in the public sector and benchmark our progress against public and private sector organisations; and
	Work with our recycling suppliers to develop more sustainable methods and reward innovation.

Departmental Equality

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what conclusions his Department has reached in fulfilment of the duty under section 3.111 of the statutory code of practice of the disability equality duty.

Kevin Brennan: The Department's most recent conclusions can be found in our Single Equality Scheme which was published online in December 2007. The scheme can be found at
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/des
	with the disability update available at
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/des/disability.shtml

Departmental Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many agencies, organisations and non-departmental bodies receive funding from his Department; and how much was spent on such bodies in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: ( )The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created in the( )machinery of government change in June 2007. The following table sets( )out the grant in aid received by each of the Department's non-departmental( )public bodies for the last three years taken from the resource accounts together( )with the funding provided to local authorities and other expenditure for the( )predecessor body the Department for Education and Skills. The 'other( )expenditure' may include expenditure not relating to organisations. To provide( )the detail requested for relating to just DCSF would involve disproportionate( )cost. The Department has no Agencies.
	
		
			  Analysis spending body 
			  Outturn £ 
			   2006-07  2005-06  2004-05 
			 Spending body:
			 Grant in aid to non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs):
			 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) 11,100 13,547 11,600 
			 Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Services (CAFCASS) 104,373 100,865 102,543 
			 National College for School Leadership (NCSL) 89,072 80,419 114,687 
			 Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) 3,362 2,061 — 
			 Partnerships for Schools (PfS) 5,168 4,483 3,477 
			 Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) 144,046 133,894 118,271 
			 School Food Trust (SFT)(1) 5,737 — — 
			 Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) 729,175 667,510 564,093 
			 Local Authorities(2) 34,798,741 7,545,316 6,483,866 
			 Other DfES 3,739,520 3,426,279 4,095,686 
			 Net spending 39,630,294 11,974,374 11,494,223 
			 (1 )SFT became operational on 1 April 2006. (2 )The amount paid to local authorities has risen significantly in 2006-07 because from 1 April 2006 the Department became responsible for paying dedicated schools grants. These grants were previously issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Departmental Homeworking

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people in his Department have been authorised to work from home in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: ( )The Department was formed on 28 June 2007. Home working is available to all staff( )as part of my Department's flexible working arrangements and currently 50 per cent. of staff( )can access the Department's IT infrastructure from home.

Departmental ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many of his Department's personal digital assistants have been  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in each of the last five years; and what the value of those items was.

Kevin Brennan: In the last five years four personal digital assistants (PDA) were reported as lost or stolen as follows:
	
		
			   Number  Valued at (£) 
			 2006-07 1 180 
			 2004-05 3 116

Departmental Impact Assessments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many regulatory impact assessments his Department has conducted in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: ( )Regulatory impact assessments were replaced with impact assessments in May 2007.( )The new requirement was that any new policies would be assessed using the new( )framework from the beginning of the parliamentary Session in November 2007. Details( )of the regulatory impact assessments that were published by my Department are( )available from the House Library.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what products featuring departmental or Government branding were procured by  (a) his Department and its predecessor and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: To provide a comprehensive answer would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether any of his Department's special advisers have declared a conflict of interest.

Kevin Brennan: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the "Model Contract for Special Advisers". Copies of the "Model Contract" are available in the House Libraries.

Departmental Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the salary range is for each pay band of civil servants in his Department.

Kevin Brennan: The salary range for each pay band in my Department is set out as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
			   London  National 
			   Min  Max  Min  Max 
			  Grade group 1 
			 Support grade band 2 16,308 17,227 13,223 13,986 
			  
			  Grade group 2 
			 Executive assistant 18,415 19,906 15,260 16,485 
			 Support grade band 1 18,611 19,906 15,360 16,485 
			 Support manager 3 21,287 22,999 17,875 19,374 
			  
			  Modern apprentice grades 
			 Advanced modern apprentice 18,415 19,906 15,260 16,485 
			  
			  Grade group 3 
			 Executive officer (EO) 22,390 25,533 19,387 22,336 
			 EO (accountant) 27,218 31,367 22,805 26,286 
			 Typing manager 22,989 26,180 19,374 22,347 
			 EO (specialist) 25,824 30,188 22,995 26,886 
			  
			  Grade group 4 
			 Higher executive officer (HEO) 27,360 31,367 24,226 27,940 
			 HEO (accountant/auditor) 33,566 38,664 30,300 34,947 
			 HEO (specialist) 30,042 34,938 26,917 31,458 
			  
			  Grade group 5 
			 Senior executive officer (SEO) 32,940 37,932 29,711 34,241 
			 SEO (accountant/auditor) 38,345 44,233 34,966 40,296 
			 SEO (specialist) 36,689 42,870 34,089 40,601 
			 Senior professional and technical officer 39,527 46,181 — — 
			  
			  Grade group 6 
			 Grade 7 45,123 54,624 41,486 50,187 
			 Grade 7 (accountant/auditor) 46,000 54,626 42,200 50,188 
			  
			  Grade group 7 
			 Grade 6 54,630 66,247 50,200 61,661 
			 Children services adviser 65,013 76,425 (1)— (1)— 
			  
			  Fast stream 
			 AT/HEO(D) 27,360 37,932 24,226 34,241 
			  
			  Senior civil service 
			 Pay band 1 56,100 116,000 (1)— (1)— 
			 Pay band 1A 65,280 127,000 (1)— (1)— 
			 Pay band 2 81,600 160,000 (1)— (1)— 
			 Pay band 3 99,960 205,000 (1)— (1)— 
			 (1) As London

Departmental Public Participation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the publicity budget was for the Time to Talk consultation.

Kevin Brennan: The total publicity costs for the Time to Talk consultation were £308,270.24.

Departmental Retirement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many of his Department's staff retired on the grounds of stress-related illness in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: The Department was set up as part of the Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007, so departmental information on retirements is only available from then. There have been no stress-related medical retirements in my Department in the period since that date.
	The Department has policies in place to reduce work related stress including a range of measures to support managers and employees on health and wellbeing issues. These include the provision of professional counselling and support from the Department's Employee Assistance Provider, Right Corecare. My Department has piloted a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Stress Questionnaire and conducted Individual Stress Risk Assessments for employees who require them. It will shortly be launching a comprehensive Stress Prevention Policy, based on recognised HSE Management Standards.

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on translation services by his Department and its predecessor, associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) in 2007-08 to date.

Kevin Brennan: Details of expenditure on translation services incurred by the Department over the last five years are set out as follows;
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 (1)5,309.26 
			 2006-07 3,169.14 
			 2005-06 1,152.11 
			 2004-05 9,878.45 
			 2003-04 15,462.62 
			 (1) Up to and including February 
		
	
	The figures relate to actual translation work as recorded on the Department's Integrated Financial Information System. The figures exclude publishing costs, on-line or off-line, associated with the translated material.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007 as a result of a Machinery of Government change and the expenditure recorded above includes that of its predecessor department, the Department for Education and Skills.
	The expenditure will also include any costs incurred by the newly created Department for Universities, Innovation and Skills, where these costs relate to areas formerly the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills.
	The Department does not have any Executive agencies.
	The Department currently has eight NDPBs. They are independent organisations and records are not held centrally by the Department about their translation fees. To extract those costs would involve disproportionate cost.

Educational Visits: Negligence

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the effect of the provisions of the Compensation Act 2006 on  (a) the number of school educational visits and  (b) the number of (i) claims and (ii) successful claims of negligence or breach of statutory duty brought against teachers as a result of accidents on educational visits;
	(2)  how many  (a) claims and  (b) successful claims of negligence or breach of statutory duty were brought against teachers as a result of accidents on educational visits in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: ( )We have made no formal estimate of the effect of the Compensation Act 2006 on offsite( )educational visits and have received no representations on this issue. We do not( )anticipate successful claims under this Act against teachers who act in accordance with( )their school's health and safety procedures, and we believe that most teachers do so.( )While the Government do not hold records of awards against school staff, we are( )unaware of any claims, successful or unsuccessful, against school staff under this Act.

Eurostar

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department, its predecessor and its agencies spent on  (a) first and  (b) other class travel by Eurostar in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The spend for the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its agencies for travel on Eurostar for the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007 on first class travel was £20,567 and for other class travel was £15,944.

Foster Care: Separation

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many foster family arrangements  (a) remained as a stable family unit for longer than 12 months and  (b) broke down with the children returning to care facilities within 12 months in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The number of children looked after at 31 March 2007 who had been in the same foster placement for longer than 12 months was 23,900. In the 12 months up to that date, 1,400 children were in a foster placement for less than 12 months and then moved to a care placement which was not based in a family(1).
	(1) The following placements have been counted: Secure units, homes and hostels, residential care homes, NHS trust providing medical/nursing care, family centre or mother and baby unit, young offenders' institution or prison, residential schools.

Mineral Waters

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many litres of bottled water were purchased by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The number of litres of bottled water for the Department for Children, Schools and Families is:
	
		
			   Number of litres 
			 December 2005 to November 2006 128,704 
			 December 2006 to November 2007 110,075

Plastic Bags

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many branded plastic bags his Department and its predecessor purchased in the last 24 months for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Kevin Brennan: Neither this Department, nor the former Department for Education and Skills, has purchased branded plastic bags in the last 24 months.

Schools: Entertainments

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department issues guidance to schools on the  (a) holding and  (b) funding of staff parties.

Jim Knight: The Department does not issue such guidance. Funding is delegated for the 'purpose of the school'. The definition does not go into detail further than this, however we would expect local authorities as part of their financial management policies to provide guidance on the use of funds for these types of purposes.

Schools: Sports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to improve sports programmes within secondary schools in 2006-07; and what funding has been allocated for that purpose for 2007-08.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to improve sports programmes within secondary schools in 2006-07; and what funding has been allocated for that purpose for 2007-08.

Kevin Brennan: Through the National School Sport Strategy, a number of programmes are in place to raise the quality and quantity of PE and school sport in secondary schools. These include:
	School Sport Partnerships
	Sports Colleges
	PE and school sport Professional Development programme
	Step into Sport volunteering and leadership programme
	Establishing School-sport club Links
	Support and provision for gifted and talented pupils in PE and sport
	Bringing professional coaches into schools
	Competition Managers
	The Department's support for these programmes totalled £179.2 million in 2007-08.

Schools: Sports

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much capital funding was allocated to sports facilities in schools in  (a) Stockton South constituency,  (b) Teesside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn) on 26 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1549W.

Special Educational Needs: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children with special educational needs, resident in Suffolk, were educated outside the county in each year since 1997; and what the financial cost of this provision was to Suffolk County Council in each year.

Kevin Brennan: Available figures for the number of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) resident in Suffolk, who attended schools maintained by other local authorities are given as follows:
	
		
			  Number of pupils with special educational needs 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Resident in Suffolk LA 15,536 16,248 16,681 17,312 17,549 
			 Attending schools maintained by Suffolk LA 15,193 16,061 16,474 17,120 17,312 
			 Attending schools maintained by other LAs 343 187 207 192 237 
			  Note: SEN includes: School action; School action plus and statement of SEN  Source: School Census 
		
	
	We are unable to provide equivalent information on the number of children with Special Educational Needs attending independent or non-maintained special schools.
	Details of the planned expenditure by Suffolk local authority for pupils with special educational needs can be found on the following tables. The data are drawn from Suffolk local authority's Section 52 budget statements submitted to the DCSF and the figures relate to all planned out of authority expenditure not just the expenditure on pupils attending schools maintained by other local authorities.
	
		
			  The Education (Budget Statements) (England) Regulations. Budgeted gross( 1)  expenditure by Suffolk local authority on inter-authority recoupment( 2) : 1999-2000 to 2007-08( 3) . Cash terms figures( 4)  as reported by Suffolk local authority as at 28( ) February 2008 
			   Cash terms figures( 4) 
			   Budgeted gross( 1)  expenditure on inter-authority recoupment( 2)  (£) 
			 1999-2000(3) 100,000 
			 2000-01 100,000 
			 2001-02 100,000 
			 2002-03 100,000 
			 2003-04 100,000 
			 2004-05 100,000 
			 2005-06 103,000 
			 2006-07 108,000 
			 2007-08 110,000 
			 (1) As one authority's expenditure on inter-authority recoupment will be another authority's income, in order to show the amount of money budgeted by Suffolk local authority for the education of pupils with special educational needs outside of Suffolk LA the figures for inter-authority recoupment have been shown gross (i.e. any income which Suffolk LA receive from other authorities for educating their pupils with SEN within Suffolk has not been netted off from the expenditure). (2) Inter authority recoupment includes any estimated expenditure in relation to transactions between authorities in accordance with regulations made under sections 493 or 494 of the 1996 Act or section 207 of the 2002 Act (recoupment between authorities) for the education of pupils with special educational needs. (3) Figures are not available prior to the inception of Section 52 for the 1999-2000 financial year. (4) Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000. 
		
	
	
		
			  The Education (Budget Statements) (England) Regulations. Budgeted net expenditure by Suffolk local authority on fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad( 1) : 1999-2000 to 2007-08( 1,2) . Cash terms figures( 3)  as reported by Suffolk local authority as at 7 January 2008 
			   Cash terms figures( 3) 
			   Budgeted net expenditure on fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad( 1)  (£) 
			 1999-2000(2) 3,776,000 
			 2000-01 3,794,000 
			 2001-02 3,993,000 
			 2002-03 4,051,000 
			 2003-04 5,711,000 
			 2004-05 6,078,000 
			 2005-06 6,161,000 
			 2006-07 6,390,000 
			 2007-08(1) 6,551,000 
			 (1) Includes estimated expenditure on the payment of fees in respect of pupils with special educational needs at independent schools or non-maintained special schools. The figures for 2007-08 also include any SEN payments to Academies for pupils with statements. (2) Figures are not available prior to the inception of Section 52 for the 1999-2000 financial year. (3) Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000.

Special Educational Needs: Young Offenders

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what special educational provision is available for adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder after their release from a penal establishment.

Kevin Brennan: Schools and local authorities are statutorily required to have regard to the SEN Code of Practice for children and young people whose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) entails special educational needs (SEN). The Code says that local authorities should have effective arrangements in place to ensure the needs of children and young people with SEN are assessed quickly and matched by appropriate provision, and that schools must do their best to ensure necessary provision is made for pupils with SEN.
	For young people in the youth justice system, Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) operate in each local area. Their role includes working with young offenders, including those preparing to leave custody, to develop appropriate resettlement plans to meet their needs—this includes co-ordinating access to education, training and health services.
	The Children Act 2004 provides a statutory framework for co-operation between local authorities, partner agencies and other relevant organisations to improve outcomes for all children including those who have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Teachers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of teachers who qualified within the last two years are not employed as teachers in state maintained schools.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the number of trainees who gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) through mainstream Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses in 2004/05 and 2005/06 and were not employed in state maintained schools six months after gaining QTS.
	A minimum of 71 per cent. of trainees who gained QTS in 2004/05 and 2005/06 entered a teaching post in a maintained school within six months of gaining QTS. These are minimums as there are a proportion of trainees where the sector of the schools they enter is unknown or their destination after gaining QTS is unknown.
	
		
			Proportion of trainees gaining QTS 
			Known not to be teaching in a maintained school  Working in a school where the sector is unknown  With an unknown destination 
			  Year of gaining QTS  Total number of mainstream trainees gaining QTS  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2004/05 27,150 3,300 12 1,470 5 3,050 11 
			 2005/06 27,040 3,790 14 1,560 6 2,510 9 
			  Notes: 1. Mainstream includes universities and other higher education institutions, SCITT and OU, but excludes employment based routes. 2. Performance profiles data are collected at the end of a trainees first year, therefore 2006/07 data are collected in autumn 2007 and will be published in July 2008. 3. Trainees taking the assessment only for secondary courses are not included in the table above. 4. Those known not to be teaching in a maintained school include those who are working in independent schools, those who are seeking a teaching post and those who are not seeking a teaching post. 5. The destination of trainees through Employment Based ITT (EBITT) is not collected.  6. The destination of trainees gaining QTS is collected through the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey 7. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: TDA's Performance Profiles

Teachers: Pensions

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he charges independent schools whose employees are members of the teachers' pension scheme a share of  (a) the Capita Business Services management fee and  (b) his Department's costs for (i) medical and (ii) actuarial services charged to the scheme.

Jim Knight: No employers, including independent schools, meet any of the direct pension administration costs of the teachers' pension scheme. These costs, which include medical and actuarial services, are not charged to the scheme but met separately from the Department's programme budgets.

Young People: Contact Centres

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library the findings of the mystery shopping and user survey research to monitor the performance of contact centres.

Beverley Hughes: A mystery shopping exercise was undertaken in April 2006 to monitor the performance of the Teenage Pregnancy Helpline, Sexwise. At the time, the Sexwise line had been in operation since 1995, offering information and advice to young people about sex, relationships and contraception.
	In order for the mystery shopping process to be credible, and to provide an understanding from a young person's perspective, it was important to include young people. Therefore 12 young people, 6 girls and 6 boys, between the ages of 14 and 17, were recruited to undertake the mystery calls. Given the highly sensitive nature of the project and the subject matter of the calls, all parents were provided with a detailed background to the project and its objectives, and with detailed examples of the kinds of calls we would be asking their children to make. All provided written consent for their children to participate. MRS approval was gained for the proposed method prior to the project start.
	It should be borne in mind that the young people calling the line were provided with a considerable amount of background information, which would probably not ordinarily be available to genuine callers. And while we tried to provide some quantification, the analysis was based on only 60 calls, and is qualitative rather than quantitative in nature. For this reason, the results of the report were not felt to warrant submission to the House of Commons Library but copies are available on request.

Young People: Crime Prevention

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the pathfinder projects to deliver integrated targeted support to parents of children and young people at risk of offending; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not fund any pathfinder projects that solely focus on parents of children and young people at risk of offending. Since 2006, DCSF has been running the Parenting Early Intervention Pathfinder (PEIP) which aims to increase support for the parents of children and young people at risk of negative outcomes and ensure that they receive an earlier, more effective, coordinated package of relevant support. Findings from an independent evaluation will be published in spring 2008.
	Targeted programmes to prevent youth offending are the responsibility of Youth Offending Teams and the Youth Justice Board. The Youth Crime Action Plan—to be published in summer 2008—will bring together action across Government, setting an overall strategy for youth crime reduction and concrete ways to tackle it.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

British Airports Authority

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions his Department have had with BAA on the potential disposal by BAA of one of its airports; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Competition issues are a matter for the independent competition authorities. The Competition Commission is currently investigating the supply of airport services by BAA in the UK following a reference by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

Business: Stress

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the average annual  (a) days lost per employee and  (b) cost to business due to stress and stress related business.

Gareth Thomas: The average number of working days lost per employee by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, (formerly the Department of Trade and Industry), including UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and Office of Manpower Economics (OME), attributed to stress-related conditions for the period January 2007 to December 2007 is 0.72.
	The Department does not routinely calculate the average annual cost of stress. As this would involve manually investigating employee sickness records and pay details on an individual basis, the cost of doing this would be disproportionate to the benefit to be derived.

Civil Service

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what guidelines his Department issues to its senior civil servants on the receipt of hospitality during public consultations run by his Department.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 28 February 2008
	The Department provides the following guidance to all of its staff on its HR intranet:
	 Acceptance and registration of hospitality
	You must not accept offers of gifts or hospitality without considering whether it would be both legal and proper to do so.
	 The Principles of Propriety
	The guiding principles governing the acceptance of gifts and hospitality are:
	Your conduct should not create suspicion of a conflict between your official duty and your private interest;
	You should not give the impression that you may have been influenced by a gift or hospitality;
	If in doubt about whether you should accept a gift or hospitality, you should refuse it.
	These principles are not intended to stop you accepting occasional trivial gifts or working lunches during the course of an official visit. However no offer of a more substantial gift or hospitality should be lightly accepted.
	You should consult your line manager when deciding whether or not to accept a gift or hospitality.
	 Procedures for declaring hospitality received
	You must not accept hospitality that might be seen to compromise your personal judgement or integrity.
	It is up to you to judge whether an offer of hospitality should be accepted. Before accepting, you should be satisfied that the hospitality is normal and reasonable in the circumstances. If in doubt, you should consult a senior manager.
	The following guidelines are intended to help you and them come to a decision:
	Is it in the Department's interest? For hospitality to be in the Department's interests there will normally need to be an opportunity to discuss official business. However, it may be that the Department nonetheless needs to be represented at an event. In this case you should check with a senior manager, to make sure that the Department is not over-represented.
	The value - Is it great enough to give rise to criticism? You should consider the perceived value rather than the actual cost.
	The frequency: Is it more frequent or regular than would be regarded as normal or reasonable, taking into account the nature of the event?
	The potential for embarrassment: Is the person or organisation offering the hospitality under investigation or have they been criticised by the Government or anyone acting on its behalf?
	The nature of any relationship with the Department: Even if you are not involved in financial, contractual or regulatory matters connected with the person or body concerned, the acceptance of an invitation by a member of BERR would be open to misconstruction or misrepresentation.
	You need to bear in mind that the guidelines are not just intended to safeguard the Department's position; they are framed to help you to avoid personal embarrassment and criticism, however misplaced.
	Strict rules apply to those responsible for procurement and the placing or management of contracts (see the Procurement Manual for further guidance); and those involved in regulatory activity. These are issued separately to the relevant staff. Nevertheless, they have the same force and authority as though they were included in The Guide.
	 Records of gifts and hospitality
	All material hospitality that you accept while on duty (other than of an incidental kind like tea or coffee) must be registered in the HMU's Register of Gifts and Hospitality.
	The only exceptions to this rule are hospitality in relation to diplomatic activity overseas or in the UK (e.g. reception hosted by a foreign government or international institution) and attendance at an event hosted by Her Majesty's Government (e.g. an official dinner to mark a particular occasion).
	Any failure to register hospitality is a disciplinary offence. Staff concerned with procurement, including contract management, should note that the CUP Guide NO 16 makes the recording of offers of hospitality and gifts, whether or not accepted, mandatory.
	 Legal Position in Respect of Corruption
	It is an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 for any civil servant in his or her official capacity corruptly to accept any gift or consideration as an inducement or reward for doing, or refraining from doing, anything; or showing favour or disfavour to any person.
	Moreover, under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1916, any money, gift or consideration received by a member of staff from a person or organisation holding or seeking to obtain a Government contract will be deemed by the courts to have been received corruptly, unless the officer proves the contrary.

Consumer Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effects on consumer representation of the Consumer Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007; what response he has made to paragraph 5.66 of the House of Lords Regulators Committee's report on economic regulators; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Government assessment of the changes to consumer representation made by the Consumer Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 was set out in the response to the House of Lords Regulators Committee's report on economic regulators, published on Thursday 21 February. Paragraph 1.16 states:
	"The Government believes that the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act will strengthen consumer representation in key sectors. The new National Consumer Council will be established from 1 October 2008. The Government are working with industry, regulators and the existing bodies to ensure that the current consumer representative framework is maintained and wherever possible enhanced during the transition.
	The Government are confident that the overall framework established by the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act will provide full support to Energy and Postal Consumers."

Departmental Contracts

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what IT contracts his Department holds; and what the  (a) length and  (b) cost of each contract is.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 21 February 2008
	 The core Department has one main information technology contract which provides desk top services and a variety of additional extended services. This is a private finance initiative (PFI) agreement awarded to Fujitsu Services in 1998 and the agreement commenced in April 1999 and runs for 15 years. The spend up until March 2008 will be £370 million and it is estimated that a further £163 million will be spent up to the end of the agreement.
	In 2005 the Department awarded a Competed Services Framework Arrangement to six suppliers to enable an element of competition for IT projects and a small number of IT contracts have been awarded through this arrangement and other framework arrangements available to government. The current contracts are as follows:
	
		
			   Years  £ million 
			 HR Replacement System 5 (1)— 
			 Export Licensing (Infrastructure) 3 2 
			 Export Licensing (Development) 2 1 
			 Correspondence Handling 3 2.5 
			 (1) Amount under review

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many of his Department's civil servants were  (a) suspended and  (b) dismissed for accessing (i) obscene and (ii) other prohibited material on work computers in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: Four employees of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform have been suspended/dismissed in the past five years. To give further details of the cases may contravene the Data Protection Act, as it may facilitate the identification of an individual.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by senior civil service staff in his Department and its agencies in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: ( )Expenses claimed by BERR staff are not recorded separately by grade. To obtain the( )requested information would entail a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Property

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what property has been lost or stolen from his Department and its predecessor since 1997; and what the cost of replacement was.

Gareth Thomas: From 1997 to date, the total number of items reported lost or stolen from my Department and its predecessor's HQ Estate amounted to 375. The total value of these items amounted to £145,500.
	The figure does not include small, low value, personal items reported lost or stolen by staff.

Departmental Sick Pay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost of sickness pay to staff in his Department was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: The Department does not routinely calculate the average annual cost of stress. As this would involve manually investigating employee sickness records and pay details on an individual basis, the cost of doing this would be disproportionate to the benefit to be derived.
	The Department's sickness, and long term sickness absence rates have consistently been lower than the Whitehall average over the past three years. The average number of working days lost due to sick leave for the period January 2007 to December 2007 is 4.9.

Departmental Translation Services

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of his Department's translation and interpreting work is outsourced under framework agreements with commercial providers; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: ( )The Department has a service level agreement with the Foreign and Commonwealth( )Office from whom individual directorates purchase translation services.
	Individual directorates make their own arrangements for purchase of interpreting( )services from external suppliers. Information is not available centrally about such( )purchases or arrangements with individual suppliers and could be provided only at( )disproportionate cost.

Energy: Complaints

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking on the effective disclosure by gas and electricity suppliers of complaints handling data to the National Consumer Council; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 confers, on the New National Consumer Council a power to require the disclosure to it by gas and electricity suppliers of such information as it requires for the purpose of exercising its functions.
	Precise disclosure arrangements are a matter for the new council, in discussion with suppliers.

Energy: Complaints

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  if he will take steps to ensure that the forthcoming complaint handling standards set by Ofgem contain provision for energy companies' complaints data will be subject to regular independent verification; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the gas and electricity complaint handling standards being formulated by Ofgem set levels of performance that will improve protection for consumers; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 provides that setting of complaint handling standards for gas and electricity is a matter for the regulator, Ofgem (GEMA).
	Ofgem consulted on its proposals for complaint handling standards in November last year and will be publishing its decision at the end of March. Ofgem is working closely with consumer groups on these standards to ensure that consumers remain protected.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many members of the Senior Civil Service have been awarded an honour while working in his Department.

Gareth Thomas: There are currently 16 BERR Senior Civil Servants with an honours award. The breakdown is as follows: KCB (1), CMG (2), CB (5), CBE (5), QBE (3).

Industry Regulators: Fines

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what arrangements there are for the allocation to spending areas of revenue from fines imposed by those industry regulators for which his Department is responsible.

Malcolm Wicks: Fines by regulators would be treated as Consolidated Fund Extra Receipts (CFERs), which go directly to the Treasury, unless specified otherwise in legislation.

INTO University Partnerships Limited

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the last accounts were  (a) due from and  (b) filed at Companies House by INTO University Partnerships Limited and its subsidiaries.

Gareth Thomas: INTO University Partnerships Ltd. was incorporated on 13 July 2005, their first set of accounts were therefore due to be filed at Companies House no later than 13 May 2007. I have been advised by the Registrar of Companies that Companies House has written to the company to advise them that the accounts are overdue and requesting they be filed.
	Companies House does not keep a register of subsidiary companies, however a company's subsidiaries are often listed on its accounts. As they have not filed any accounts the Registrar of Companies is unable to provide any information of its subsidiary companies.

Investments: Companies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assistance his Department provides to businesses from the Isle of Man wishing to  (a) invest in the United Kingdom and  (b) take part in joint ventures with UK companies; how much was made available for these purposes in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: In line with its guidelines for eligibility to services, UKTI does not provide services for companies from, or based in Crown Dependencies (Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and the Overseas Territories (Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, British Virgin Islands, Cayman, Islands, Turks and Caicos etc.). However, where a request is made for assistance in liaising with a foreign government, the case is examined on its merits.

Kelda: Yorkshire

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to evaluate the effects on the Yorkshire economy of the takeover of Kelda by a private equity group;

Patrick McFadden: The acquisition of Kelda Group by Saltaire Water is a commercial matter for the enterprises concerned and their shareholders.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he will reply to the letters of  (a) 9 November 2007 and  (b) 14 December 2007 from the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean on firework regulations, reference FD4276.

Gareth Thomas: I apologise for my delay in responding to the hon. Member. I have been considering the issues raised and am now in a position to respond. A reply will issue from my office shortly.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 21 December 2007, transferred from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (CMS 85948), about the withdrawal of CapTel.

Gareth Thomas: I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member. The letter was originally sent to the wrong Department, a reply will be issued shortly.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 23 January, on mobile telephone dealers.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 3 March 2008
	I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member, a reply will be issued shortly.

Origin Marking

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what UK and European legislation governs whether goods may be labelled as made in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales,  (d) Northern Ireland and  (e) the UK.

Gareth Thomas: Generally speaking, there is no UK or European Union legal requirement for goods to bear marks indicating their origin, nor is there anything to prevent voluntary origin marking where traders wish to do so. Where such marks are applied to goods, the law requires this information to be accurate.

Overseas Investment: Taiwan

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the value of  (a) UK investment in Taiwan and  (b) Taiwan's investment in the UK was in each year since 1997; what steps he (i) has taken and (ii) plans to take to increase (A) trade and (B) joint ventures between the UK and Taiwan; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The following table shows the UK's foreign direct investment (FDI) net flows to and from Taiwan for the period 1997-2005, the latest year available.
	
		
			  UK net foreign direct investment flows with Taiwan 1997-2006 
			  £ million 
			   UK outward FDI in Taiwan  UK inward FDI from Taiwan 
			 1997 -32 (1)— 
			 1998 39 (1)— 
			 1999 28 2 
			 2000 122 24 
			 2001 357 14 
			 2002 118 12 
			 2003 37 -7 
			 2004 161 -8 
			 2005 150 10 
			 2006 -37 (1)— 
			 (1) Not disclosed by companies for commercial reasons  Note: A minus sign indicates net disinvestment  Source: BERR analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	However, there are many ways to invest. Net FDI flows do not provide the full picture of investment. The following table records the project wins and job numbers of which we are aware.
	
		
			  Taiwanese investment in the UK 2001-08 
			   Project numbers  Jobs created 
			 2001-02 4 230 
			 2002-03 6 302 
			 2003-04 8 214 
			 2004-05 7 221 
			 2005-06 5 120 
			 2006-07 12 318 
			 2007-08 (1)9 928 
			 (1) Up to February 2008 
		
	
	UK Trade and Investment offers a range of services to UK companies. For Taiwan, we have identified the following priority areas: Construction (specifically Urban regeneration), Creative Industries, Healthcare, Information Communications Technology (ICT), Infrastructure (specifically Rail), Nanotechnology, Environment and Renewable Energy.
	In the coming year UK Trade and Investment will host the Taiwan British Business Council (TBBC) and the UK Taiwan Trade Talks with the aim of further building up the business relationship and addressing barriers to trade.

Overseas Trade: Israel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) his officials last met the Chairman of the Israel Britain Chamber of Commerce to discuss trade between Great Britain and Israel; for what dates the next such meetings are planned; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I have not yet had the opportunity to meet Len Judes, Chairman of the Israel-British Chamber of Commerce. My right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield, as Minister for Trade, met Len Judes when he addressed a meeting of the Israel Britain Business Council in London in May 2006.
	Contacts in Tel Aviv are regular and ongoing. UKTI officials based in London who are responsible for business with Israel meet representatives of the Israel-British Chamber of Commerce when they travel to Israel. The last two such contacts were in June 2007 and February 2008.
	UKTI officials in London will next meet Len Judes, at the time of the Israel-Britain Business Council meeting, in the UK in May 2008.

Private Sector: Redundancy

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 656W, on private sector: redundancy, whether his Department is currently considering provision of funding under the selective finance for investment in England scheme.

Patrick McFadden: ( )Funding can be provided under the selective finance for investment in England( )(SFIE) scheme to support new capital investment that will safeguard employment.( )Under EC state aid law, the allocation of public sector funds to private sector( )companies simply to prevent redundancies, i.e. in the absence of new capital( )investment, would be considered as operating aid. SFIE cannot be used to provide( )operating aid. However, SFIE may be granted to an independent investor to support( )the acquisition of assets directly linked to an establishment that would have closed( )had it not been purchased, therefore preventing redundancy.

Seas and Oceans: Legislation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he last discussed the Marine Bill with his Cabinet colleagues; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions on a range of issues with Cabinet colleagues. However, any discussions concerning the Marine Bill would be led by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Service Industries: Pay

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  if he will bring forward measures to ensure that service staff receive income in full from any tips earned in the course of their duties in addition to a contracted rate of pay which is at or above the minimum wage;
	(2)  what measures his Department is taking to ensure that earnings received in tips above contracted rates of pay are always passed on to service staff.

Patrick McFadden: Current legislation already requires that workers should receive the national minimum wage. Under the present minimum wage regulations, cash tips, service charges, gratuities or cover charges that are paid by the employer through the pay roll can count towards the NMW. Many restaurants operate systems known as "troncs" where cash tips are gathered centrally and then allocated out by the head waiter. In some cases the tronc is shared out between the workers without the employer being involved. In these cases the tips would not count towards the minimum wage. However in some cases the tips or tronc money is passed to the restaurant and paid out through the payroll and therefore can count towards the national minimum wage.

Supermarkets: Alcoholic Drinks

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he plans to take steps to prevent supermarkets from engaging in loss-leading alcohol promotions.

Gareth Thomas: ( )The Competition Commission considered the issue of 'below cost selling' of alcohol( )in the context of its current inquiry into the groceries market. It concluded that the( )practice did not raise competition concerns. Separately, the Government have( )commissioned independent research examining what relationships may exist between( )the pricing and availability of alcohol and harms associated with excessive alcohol( )consumption.

Tour Operators: Regulation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the extent to which tour operators in the activity holiday market comply with the Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations in terms of financial protection for their customers; and what powers he has to take action against companies which do not comply with the regulations.

Gareth Thomas: ( )My Department has made no assessment of the extent to which businesses offering( )activity holidays comply with the requirement in the Package Travel, Package( )Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/3288) that they should be( )able to provide sufficient evidence of security for the refund of money paid over and( )for the repatriation of the consumer in the event of insolvency. Non-compliance by( )the activity holidays sector with this element of the Regulations is not the subject of( )any significant number of complaints to my Department, notwithstanding the( )hon. Member's recent correspondence on behalf of a business within his( )constituency.
	Local authority trading standards officers have powers to enforce the Regulations and,( )where necessary, prosecute in the criminal courts.

UK Trade and Investment: Greater London

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many UK Trade and Investment posts there are in  (a) London and  (b) Glasgow; and how many there are planned to be at each location in January 2009.

Gareth Thomas: ( )There are approximately 475 trade and investment posts in London and Glasgow. Of( )these approximately 45 posts are in Glasgow. By January 2009 the trade and( )investment posts in London will have increased by approximately 170 posts which are( )being transferred from MOD to BERR under the machinery of government change( )announced on 11 December 2007.

Unemployment

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the rate of unemployment was in each of the English regions in each year for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 5 March 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the rate of unemployment in each English region in each year for which figures are available. (191356)
	The attached table gives estimates of those aged 16+ who are unemployed as a percentage of all economically active people in the three months ending June from 1992 to 2007, from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
	Seasonally adjusted estimates of national and regional unemployment levels and rates are published each month in the Labour Market Statistics First Release. Please visit the following link for further information:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/LMS_FR_HS7WebTablel8SA.xls
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Unemployment rate( 1)  by English regions—three months ending June each year, seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			   England  North East  North West  Yorkshire and Humber  East Midlands  West Midlands  East  London  South East  South West 
			 1992 9.8 12.3 10.2 9.6 8.4 11.0 8.2 12.4 8.1 9.0 
			 1993 10.4 12.6 10.5 10.1 9.0 11.7 9.3 13.5 8.2 9.2 
			 1994 9.6 12.7 10.2 10.0 8.3 10.1 8.1 13.1 7.4 7.7 
			 1995 8.6 11.5 9.0 8.2 7.2 8.6 7.5 12.1 6.5 7.8 
			 1996 8.1 10.3 8.4 8.4 7.3 9.4 6.4 11.6 6.1 6.2 
			 1997 6.9 9.8 7.1 7.5 5.9 6.8 6.3 9.3 5.3 5.8 
			 1998 6.1 8.3 6.9 7.3 4.9 5.9 4.9 8.6 4.4 4.8 
			 1999 5.8 9.6 6.3 6.3 5.4 6.9 4.3 7.5 4.0 4.5 
			 2000 5.3 8.9 5.3 6.1 4.8 6.1 3.7 7.4 3.3 4.3 
			 2001 4.8 7.4 5.3 5.5 5.0 5.5 3.6 6.2 3.2 3.6 
			 2002 5.0 6.5 5.5 5.3 4.6 5.7 3.7 6.8 3.8 3.7 
			 2003 4.9 6.1 5.0 5.1 4.3 5.6 3.9 7.2 3.9 3.4 
			 2004 4.7 5.5 4.4 4.6 4.2 5.5 3.8 7.0 3.7 3.7 
			 2005 4.7 6.8 4.4 4.8 4.2 4.7 3.9 7.1 3.8 3.2 
			 2006 5.5 6.1 5.3 5.8 5.4 5.7 5.0 7.8 4.7 3.7 
			 2007 5.5 6.5 5.8 5.7 5.0 6.8 4.6 7.4 4.2 4.0 
			 (1) Aged 16+ unemployed persons as a percentage of all economically active persons aged 16 and over.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey

HOME DEPARTMENT

Air Passengers

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specifications have been set for information requirements to be entered into the system for monitoring air passengers that her Department is putting out to tender.

Liam Byrne: The e-Borders contract was awarded to the Trusted Borders consortium led by Raytheon Systems Ltd. on 14 November 2007.
	There are two types of information which need to be collected for the e-Borders system. These are travel document information and other passenger information. e-Borders will require commercial carriers and owner/operators of all vessels scheduled to arrive in or depart the UK to submit detailed passenger, service and crew data to the e-Borders system prior to their departure to and from the UK.
	Travel document information (TDI) refers to specified biographical information (name, date of birth, nationality, gender, travel document type, state of issue number and expiry date) relating to a passenger.
	Other passenger information (OPI) relates to any other data relating to a passenger held by a carrier in its reservations system and may include, for example, the date on which a reservation was made and payment method. Passenger name records (PNR) are an industry term used by scheduled air carriers to describe the reservation details held by them.

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department further to the ministerial letter of 31 January 2006 responding to the recommendations within the Animal Procedures Committee's (APC) 2005 report on the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, if she will make a statement on her Department's response to the APC's recommendation 4.

Meg Hillier: ( )We will shortly be reviewing our response to all of the recommendations( )in this Animal Procedures Committee report, including recommendation( )4, and will aim to publish our further conclusions when we publish the( )Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals 2007.

Association of University Chief Security Officers

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings Ministers from her Department and officials from the Home Office Counter Terrorism Department have had with the Association of University Chief Security Officers; what the purposes were of such meetings; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: h olding answer 21 February 2008
	The Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO) falls within the area of responsibility for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). Neither my right. hon. Friend the Home Secretary nor I or officials at the Home Office have met directly with AUCSO representatives. Government interaction with AUCSO is carried forward by DIUS who engage with them on counter-terrorism issues as well as other matters.

British Crime Survey

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the results of the British Crime Survey, in relation to the perception of antisocial behaviour in the South Wales police force area in 2006-07.

Vernon Coaker: The British Crime Survey (BCS) is a nationally representative survey of adults aged 16 and over living in private households in England and Wales. The survey includes questions on perceived problems with antisocial behaviour. In the 2006-07 BCS, 20 per cent. of people in South Wales perceived there to be high levels of antisocial behaviour in their local area. Figures for South Wales are similar to the average for England and Wales.
	Annual assessments of Police Forces in England and Wales are published jointly by the Home Office and HMIC. As part of the 'Police Performance Assessments 2006-07', South Wales police were assessed as 'poor' and 'stable' for perceptions of antisocial behaviour. Details of the assessments are available on the Home Office website:
	http://www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk/performance-and-measurement/performance-assessment

Citizens' Juries

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library copies of each document prepared for each of her Department's citizens' juries.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office held a Citizens' Jury on Crime which took place on 12 September 2007. The Home Office will place a copy of the final report in the Library when it is published.

Control Orders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals are subject to control orders; for how long each has been subject to the order; and on what date the prospect of prosecution was most recently considered in each case.

Jacqui Smith: There are currently 11 individuals subject to control orders. The following dates reflect when these individuals were first served with a control order (since that point their original control order may have been renewed, quashed and/or revoked and replaced with a new one).
	Two individuals were served with control orders in March 2005.
	One individual was served with a control order in September 2005.
	One individual was served with a control order in November 2005.
	One individual was served with a control order in December 2005.
	One individual was served with a control order in July 2006.
	One individual was served with a control order in August 2006.
	One individual was served with control order in September 2006.
	One individual was served with a control order in June 2007.
	One individual was served with a control order in July 2007.
	One individual was served with a control order in January 2008.
	A decision on whether to prosecute a particular individual is an operational matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. The police are under a duty to keep under review the possibility of prosecution of individuals subject to a control order for offences relating to terrorism, and to consult with the Crown Prosecution Service as appropriate. The possibility of prosecution is considered on an ongoing basis and this is formally captured on a quarterly basis via the Control Order Review Group (CORG). The last round of CORGs was held on 3 to 6 December 2007.

Control Orders

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her office received the annual report on control orders from the independent reviewer in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2007.

Tony McNulty: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Home Office received a draft of the third annual report on control orders on Sunday 10 February 2008. The report was finalised by Lord Carlile on 14 February 2008 and published on 18 February 2008.
	 (b) The Home Office received a draft of the second annual report on control orders on 25 January 2007. The report was finalised by Lord Carlile on 2 February 2007 and published on 19 February 2007.

Crimes of Violence: Ports

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attacks have been made on UK lorry drivers returning through the Channel ports by potential illegal immigrants since 1 January 2008.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is not possible to identify such offences from the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office.

Crimes of Violence: Young People

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps she has taken to tackle knife crime amongst young people.

Vernon Coaker: The Government published their Tackling Violence Action Plan 'Saving Lives. Reducing Harm. Protecting the Public.' on 18 February 2008. This addresses a broad range of serious violence offences, and has a particular focus on knife crime.
	The Action Plan recognises the public concern and addresses the dangers of youngsters who carry knives and are at risk of committing serious violence. It sets out a range of actions to tackle serious violence including knife crime over the next three years.

Departmental Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the salary range is for each pay band of civil servants in her Department.

Liam Byrne: The salary ranges for each pay band of civil servants are as follows:
	
		
			  Home Office HQs and Border and Immigration Agency pay range 2007-08 
			   Salary 
			  Grade  Minimum ()  Maximum () 
			 AA - National 12,950 14,333 
			 London 13,763 15,233 
			 AO - National 14,627 16,860 
			 London 15,704 18,101 
			 EO - National 19,237 23,093 
			 London 20,034 24,050 
			 HEO - National 24,050 28,870 
			 London 25,046 30,066 
			 SEO - National 30,995 36,831 
			 London 32,279 38,357 
			 G7 - National 41,601 53,615 
			 London 43,325 55,837 
			 G6 - National 50,963 65,681 
			 London 53,074 68,402 
			 SCS Pay Band 1 56,100 116,000 
			 SCS Pay Band 2 81,600 160,000 
			 SCS Pay Band 3 99,960 205,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Identity and Passport Service (IPS) pay range August 2006( 1) 
			   Salary 
			  Grade  Minimum ()  Maximum () 
			 PO1 - National 12,605 12,995 
			 London 13,438 13,869 
			 PO2 - National 13,236 14,872 
			 London 14,110 15,885 
			 P03 - National 14,631 17,459 
			 London 15,612 18,678 
			 EO - National 17,959 23,076 
			 London 18,706 24,037 
			 HEO - National 23,432 28,865 
			 London 24,404 30,063 
			 HEO Acct - National 29,149 35,395 
			 London 30,344 36,846 
			 SEO - National 29,132 35,375 
			 London 30,344 36,846 
			 SEO Acct - National 34,292 41,650 
			 London 35,705 43,357 
			 Grade seven - National 42,765 54,556 
			 London 44,688 57,012 
			 Grade six - National 50,545 66,647 
			 London 52,820 69,645 
			 (1) Please note, the 2007 award is pending. 
			  Notes:  1. 'Acct': accountancy pay scales. 2. London Pay scales differ to National pay scales and are shown on separate lines. 
		
	
	
		
			  Criminal Records Bureau pay range October 2007 to August 2008 
			   Salary 
			  Grade  Minimum ()  Maximum () 
			 AA 12,883 15,002 
			 AO 14,551 18,377 
			 EO 19,333 24,416 
			 SPS 19,730 24,416 
			 HEO 24,170 31,468 
			 SEO 31,150 38,160 
			 SEO ACC 34,478 43,101 
			 G7 41,387 56,688 
			 G6 50,700 70,153

Departmental Retirement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in her Department retired on grounds of stress-related illness in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office is unable to provide information on how many staff have retired on grounds of stress-related illness. Our database records any retirement that is as a result of sickness as a 'medical retirement'. The Home Office is committed to reducing work related stress and ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees. The Home Office policy is concerned with managing the risk factors of stress in the workplace for the reduction or elimination (so far as is reasonably practicable) of the causes of work-related stress, together with the provision of support for staff who may experience stress from any cause.

Deportation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account her Department takes of Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice in decisions on deportation.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 3 March 2008
	( )Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice is for British nationals.( )There is often a difference between the risks a British citizen would face( )when travelling to a foreign country and those for someone returning to( )what is their home country. Travel advice aimed at British travellers( )cannot therefore be assumed to apply in the same way to nationals of( )the country concerned. Instead, decisions about whether it would be safe( )to return an individual to their country of origin are taken in the light of all( )the available information about conditions as they relate to nationals of that country.

Deportation: Cameroon

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account she has taken of recent events in Cameroon in plans to review her policy on deportations to that country; and what recent discussions she has had with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on this matter.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 4 March 2008
	Officials from the Border and Immigration Agency continue to closely monitor the situation in Cameroon and are in regular contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in order to obtain accurate and up-to-date information on recent events there. Asylum and human rights applications made from Cameroonian nationals continue to be considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations and taking full account of the latest available information about the conditions in Cameroon as they impact on the individual applicant. The Border and Immigration Agency only enforces the removal of Cameroonian nationals who we are satisfied are not in need of protection.

Dogs

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to deal with attacks by dogs on  (a) adults and  (b) children.

Vernon Coaker: The Government take all violent crime extremely seriously. A person who uses a dog to attack another person, provided they have the requisite intent, could be committing one of a range of offences of violence against the person such as grievous bodily harm. Any such offence will be investigated and prosecuted in the same way as any other violent crime.
	The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended in 1997) makes it an offence to breed, or breed from, four types of dog identified as bred specifically for fighting: the pit bull terrier; the Japanese Tosa; the Dogo Argentino; and the Fila Braziliero. It is also an offence to sell or exchange, or advertise or offer for sale or exchange, any of these dogs.
	The legislation also provides protection to the public from a dog of any type or breed which is dangerously out of control in a public place, or in a private place where it has no right to be.
	Following the tragic dog attacks on children last year and earlier this year, we are currently undertaking a review of the dangerous dogs legislation.

Drugs: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal  (a) cannabis and  (b) methamphetamine factories were detected in each of the last three years, broken down by police force area.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Emergency Calls

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost was of each of the four pilot schemes piloting the non-emergency 101 number; what assessment has been made of the pilot schemes; and if she will place a copy of the final report in the Library;
	(2)  what the cost was of each of the four pilot schemes for the non-emergency 101 number; what assessment has been made of the pilot schemes; and if she place a copy of the final report on the schemes in the Library.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 254W and on 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 580W.

Entry Clearances

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2008,  Official Report, column 98W, on entry clearances, what estimate her Department has made of the number of foreign nationals resident in the UK who the Government are permitted to require to possess a biometric information document under the UK Borders Act 2007; what estimate her Department has made of the percentage such individuals constitute of the total number of foreign nationals resident in the United Kingdom; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of biometric information documents the Government plans to issue to such nationals by  (a) January 2009,  (b) January 2010 and  (c) January 2011; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The roll out strategy for biometric immigration documents will be published shortly.

Foreign Workers: Iraq

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government plan to provide accommodation in the UK to Iraqi citizens formerly employed by the Ministry of Defence and their families who are granted indefinite leave to enter.

Liam Byrne: ( )The Border and Immigration Agency is currently in the process of putting( )in place a reception, orientation and integration package for Iraqi citizens( )who enter the UK as part of the direct entry scheme. This package will( )include the provision of accommodation.

Frontiers: Personal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost has been of Project Semaphore since its inception; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 7 January 2008
	Project Semaphore was launched in November 2004 and was commissioned to run for 39 months to provide an operational prototype to trial e-Borders concepts and technology in order to inform and de-risk the e-Borders solution.
	Up to November 2007 the cost of Project Semaphore was 38 million.
	To date, there have been over 19,000 alerts issued resulting in more than 1500 arrests for crimes which include murder, kidnap, rape, assault, firearms and fraud. These include:
	Significant number of registered sex offenders identified leaving UK.
	Significant counter-terrorist interventions.

Genetics: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of new DNA profiles added to the National DNA database in each month since September 2007 relate to individuals aged  (a) under 16,  (b) 16 to 18,  (c) 19 to 20,  (d) 21 to 30,  (e) 31 to 40,  (f) 41 to 50,  (g) 51 to 60 and  (h) over 60 years, broken down by police force; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The figures given in the tables are the number of subject sample profiles taken by police forces in England and Wales and loaded to the National DNA Database (NDNAD) between 1 October 2007 and 18 January 2008. The data was obtained on 18 January 2008 and is based on the current age of the subjects as at 18 January 2008. Copies have been placed in the Library.
	A proportion of DNA profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded on more then one occasion (one reason for this is that the person gave different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests). During 2007, the replication rate was calculated to be 13.7 per cent. It was re-calculated as at 31 December 2007 and it is now estimated that 13.3 per cent. of profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates. Therefore, the number of individuals on the NDNAD is now approximately 13.3 per cent. less than the number of subject profiles. The presence of these replicate profiles on the NDNAD does not impact on the effectiveness and integrity of the database. None the less, a long-term exercise is under way to identify issues associated with the removal of all such redundant replicate profiles.

Homicide

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many honour killings were recorded by each police force in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information cannot be provided as, currently, circumstances around so-called honour killings are not identifiable from centrally-held homicide data. However, over the coming months we will be working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers to develop an honour-based violence action plan that will seek to ensure that all reports of honour-based violence are investigated and to increase awareness of this appalling crime. We will be reporting on the progress of this work on a regular basis.
	More broadly, we are currently developing a national black and minority ethnic (BME) working group of Government, statutory agencies and the third sector that will promote a partnership approach to issues such as domestic and sexual violence, forced marriage, so-called honour crimes and female genital mutilation. The group will identify and develop actions and practical tools to assist victims and potential victims.
	We are also aware that we need to understand more about the help-seeking behaviours of women from BME communities with a view to informing national policy and practice development. We have commissioned research from Bristol university to undertake a study of this and expect interim findings in September 2008.

Illegal Immigrants: Crime

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people residing in the UK illegally were convicted of a criminal offence in each year since 2002.

Jacqui Smith: In order to provide the information requested the detailed examination of individual case files would be required and for this to be cross referenced with information held on the Police National Computer.
	The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Committee and provided the most robust and accurate information available on foreign national prisoners. Copies of these letters are available in the Library of the House.

Immigrants: Police Custody

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the Immigration Service used police cells to hold immigrants in each year since 1997; and what the average cost was in each police force area in each year.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could only be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records and could therefore be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Offenders: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government seeks to deport  (a) foreign national offenders sentenced to imprisonment for a period of less than one year and  (b) foreign national offenders sentenced to non-custodial community punishments.

Liam Byrne: The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised in her appearance before the Home Affairs committee on 15 January that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners were deported or removed from the United Kingdom in 2007. Our policy was set out very clearly during the passage of the UK Borders Act.

Offenders: Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government seeks to deport foreign national offenders sentenced to  (a) less than a year's custody and  (b) non-custodial community punishments for (i) possession of a firearm and (ii) possession of class B or C drugs with intent to supply.

Liam Byrne: Our policy was set out very clearly during the passage of the UK Borders Act.

Offensive Weapons: Crime

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been undertaken by her Department on  (a) areas and  (b) communities with high levels of knife-related crime.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office regularly collects information on knives and violent incidents via the British Crime Survey. The findings are published each year at national level. Data from the 2006-07 survey can be found on the Home Office web site at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1107.pdf
	The Offending, Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS) also includes questions on young people carrying and using knives. These findings are also published at national level. The latest published information from the 2005 survey can be found on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1706.pdf
	Historically, homicide has been the only offence category for which police recorded knife crime is collected by the Home Office. Figures are published each year for method of killing, and 'sharp instrument' is one of these methods. National findings for 2006-07 can be found on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0308.pdf
	Data on knife-enabled grievous bodily harm and robbery offences have been collected centrally since April 2007. Figures for 2007-08 will be published in July 2008 in the next annual 'Crime in England and Wales' volume.

Police Custody

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the development of police investigation and detainee handling centres.

Tony McNulty: The provision of Police Investigation and Detainee Handling Centres in each force area is an operational matter for the chief officer of the force concerned.

Police National Computer

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations have access to the police national computer.

Tony McNulty: The following organisations have access to the police national computer:
	All Police Forces in England and Wales
	All Police Forces in Scotland
	Police Service of Northern Ireland
	Isle of Man Constabulary
	States of Jersey Police
	Guernsey Police
	British Transport Police
	Security Service
	Secret Intelligence Service
	The Civil Nuclear Constabulary
	Serious and Organised Crime Agency
	Ministry of Defence Police
	Service Police Crime Bureau
	Disclosure Scotland
	Access Northern Ireland
	National Identification Service
	Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
	Royal Mail Consignia Security and Investigation Service
	Home Office Departmental Security Unit
	Home Office Immigration Managed Migration Directorate
	Department for Transport
	Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
	H.M. Prison Service
	Defence Vetting Agency
	Criminal Cases Review Commission
	National Air Traffic Services
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	Ministry of Justice Department for Constitutional AffairsCrown Court
	Jury Service
	Ministry of Justice Department for Constitutional AffairsWarrants
	The Office of Fair Trading
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Border and Immigration Agency
	Department of Works and Pensions Solicitors
	Office for Civil Nuclear Security
	Financial Services Authority
	Health and Safety Executive
	Scottish Police Services Authority
	Scottish Crime Drug Enforcement Agency
	Charity Commission for England and Wales
	Assets Recovery Agency
	NHS Counter Fraud Services
	The Pensions Regulator
	Mersey Tunnels Police
	H.M. Inspectorate of Constabulary
	The Environment Agency
	Independent Police Complaints Commission
	The Highways Agency
	Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
	NPIA National DNA Database Custodian
	NPIA Bramshill Police College

Police Stations

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2008,  Official Report, column 389W, on police stations, how many police buildings have been  (a) opened and  (b) closed in each year since 1997, broken down by police authority area.

Tony McNulty: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

Police Stations

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2008,  Official Report, column 389W, on police stations, what changes in the use of police buildings have taken place in the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The use of police stations has changed in recent years to reflect more modern policing. Many forces have now devised innovative ways of increasing their accessibility to members of the public by using other more modern methods of interaction, such as police shops in high streets, police kiosks and by use of mobile police stationsparticularly in rural areas.
	The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

Police Stations

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2008,  Official Report, column 389W, on police stations, how many police buildings there were in each police authority area in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

Police: Ethnic Groups

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the participants at the review of policing event on 31 July 2007 were  (a) Afro-Caribbean,  (b) Muslim,  (c) Sikh and  (d) Jewish.

Tony McNulty: The event, held on 31 July 2007, sought the views of an invited audience on a number of key issues relating to Sir Ronnie Flanagan's Review of Policing, but specifically with regards to equality and diversity issues. The groups and organisations represented at the event included:
	1990 TrustPromotes the interests of Britain's black communities
	Action AidGlobal anti-poverty agency
	a: genderTransgender group
	British Association of Women in Policing
	Calderdale Race Equality Council
	CarismaBlack and Minority Ethnic group
	Commission for Racial Equality
	Committee for Protection of Turkish Rights
	GalopTransgender group
	Gay Police Association
	GIRESTransgender group
	Henna FoundationAsian Women's Group
	Latin Front
	Metropolitan Police Service Independent Advisory Group
	National Association of Muslim Police
	National Black Police Association
	National Travellers Action Group
	Peace Alliance
	Police Superintendents Association
	Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
	Stonewall
	and a number of independent community members representing the black and minority ethnic community.
	Individual participants were not monitored by religion or ethnicity on the day.

Police: Eyesight

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a cost-benefit analysis of offering corrective laser eye surgery to firearms officers.

Tony McNulty: The consideration of privately funding corrective laser eye surgery is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police.

Police: Finance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much central Government funding is being provided to each police authority in the 2007-08 financial year; how much each authority is raising through local precepts; and how much the combined figure for both funding streams represents per head of population in each authority area.

Tony McNulty: Information is set out in the following table.
	We do not distribute grant to police authorities purely on the basis of population. The police funding formula uses a range of data relating to demographic and social characteristics to reflect the relative needs of each authority. Grant allocations also take into account the relative tax base of each authority. Grant allocations are stabilised by damping to limit year-on-year variations.
	
		
			  Police authority total Government grant allocations 2006-07 and 200708 
			   2007-08 
			   Government grant ( 1, 2, 3)  Council tax requirement  Resident population 
			 Avon and Somerset 184.21 80.39 1.55 
			 Bedfordshire 76.21 24.75 0.59 
			 Cambridgeshire 85.58 39.40 0.76 
			 Cheshire 136.12 42.56 1.00 
			 Cleveland 105.29 26.50 0.55 
			 Cumbria 72 29 29.89 0.49 
			 Derbyshire 119.81 45.63 0.99 
			 Devon and Cornwall 199.38 78.64 1.65 
			 Dorset 82.66 45.35 0.71 
			 Durham 97.68 25.11 0.5$ 
			 Dyfed-Powys 34.17 31.80 0.51 
			 Essex 187.91 73.23 1.66 
			 Gloucestershire 71.35 38.92 0.58 
			 Greater Manchester 484.16 90.79 2.55 
			 Gwent 45.70 32.00 0.56 
			 Hampshire 221.75 84.04 1.83 
			 Hertfordshire 127.33 56.62 1.06 
			 Humberside 134.90 42.23 0.89 
			 Kent 219.23 75.16 1.65 
			 Lancashire 215.90 58.56 1.44 
			 Leicestershire 126.03 42.95 0.96 
			 Lincolnshire 72.47 29.71 0.70 
			 Merseyside 287.30 54.15 1.36 
			 Metropolitan(4) 2,115.40 648.96 7.56 
			 Norfolk 102.25 47.44 0.84 
			 North Wales 50.28 48.49 0.68 
			 North Yorkshire 79.39 54.18 0.77 
			 Northamptonshire 78.53 38.23 0.66 
			 Northumbria 260.01 31.90 1.39 
			 Nottinghamshire 145.55 45.00 1.04 
			 South Wales 94.82 59.93 1.23 
			 South Yorkshire 211.15 44.71 1.28 
			 Staffordshire 126.77 56.40 1.05 
			 Suffolk 75.57 34.08 0.70 
			 Surrey 110.12 83.21 1.08 
			 Sussex 189.14 75.64 1.54 
			 Thames Valley 261.98 117.82 2.15 
			 Warwickshire 56.91 28.59 0.53 
			 West Mercia 131.49 67.95 1.19 
			 West Midlands 487.88 71.58 2.59 
			 West Yorkshire 348.95 77.82 2.13 
			 Wiltshire 73.03 33.64 0.64 
			 England and Wales Total 6,271.23 2,813.97 53.68 
			 (1) Revenue funding includes all grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF) (i.e. revenue grants paid for councils' core services), and includes formula grant and ail specific grants.  (2) Welsh Government Grant includes Home Office Police Grant, floor funding and additional support provided to ensure Welsh Police Authorities receive at least a minimum increase in grant in line with English Authorities.  (3) The data for Metropolitan Police Authority from 2000-01 onwards is not available from DCLG as they are collected as consolidated data from GLA. Data used is compiled from Home Office data for allocated grants.  (4) 2007-08 Government grant figures are budget figures.   Source:  Government grant and council tax requirement figures: DCLG - from English police authorities/WAG - from Welsh police authorities. Population data supplied by DCLG from ONS.

Police: Information and Communications Technology

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department  (a) spent on and  (b) committed to the Police Portal; why the Police Portal was withdrawn; what plans she has to introduce a secure online crime reporting system for use by police forces; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: This matter is subject to ongoing legal proceedings and it would, therefore, not be appropriate to provide the requested information at this stage.

Police: Retirement

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of retired police officers in North Yorkshire and the impact of the cost of their pensions on the operational budget of North Yorkshire Police.

Tony McNulty: Information on the number of retired police officers in individual police forces is not held centrally as the administration of the police pension schemes is the responsibility of each individual police authority.
	Under the new system of pensions financing introduced on 1 April 2006 police authorities now have a separate pensions account out of which retired officers' pensions are paid. Where the cost of pensions in payment exceeds the level of employer and officer contributions paid into the pension account in any year the account is topped up with a grant from central Government; any surplus is recouped. A key benefit of this change is that it takes away from police authorities the burden of the rising cost of pensions, as the number of pensioners increases, from the operational budget. Instead, the operational budget now only has to provide for the employers' contributions in respect of serving officers.

Police: Retirement

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many senior police officers were permitted to retire while under disciplinary investigation in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The retirement of senior police officers is primarily a matter for the officer concerned, and his or her police authority. The Home Office does not collate information on those who retire while subject to disciplinary investigation.

Resettlement: Iraq

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for the Gateway Programme the UK Government has received from Iraqi citizens formerly employed by the Ministry of Defence.

Liam Byrne: The Gateway programme policy states that an individual cannot make an application for resettlement directly to the Border and Immigration Agency. Applications can only be made by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to the UK following an individual assessment by them in a third country. As of 27 February, one formal application for the Gateway programme had been made by UNHCR to the UK on behalf of Iraqi citizens formerly employed by the Ministry of Defence.

Resettlement: Iraq

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqi citizens formerly employed by  (a) the Ministry of Defence,  (b) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and  (c) the Department for International Development have been screened by the Border and Immigration Agency since 8 October 2007.

Liam Byrne: Since 8 October 2007 the Border and Immigration Agency has screened the following number of Iraqi citizens who were formerly employed by the three main employing Departments:
	74 Iraqi citizens who were formerly employed by the Ministry of Defence have been or are being screened by the Border and Immigration Agency.
	Eight Iraqi citizens who were formerly employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been or are being screened by the Border and Immigration Agency.
	Three Iraqi citizens who were formerly employed by the Department for International Development have been or are being screened by the Border and Immigration Agency.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many disclosure notices have been obtained by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency to date.

Jacqui Smith: SOCA's annual report for 2006-07 reported the use of 22 disclosure notices. Comparable figures for 2007-08 are not yet available.
	The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 confers powers on the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Director of Revenue and Customs Prosecutions and the Lord Advocate in relation to the giving of disclosure notices. Detailed cross-matching and validation of data between SOCA and its partners is carried out at the end of each financial year.
	As required under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, SOCA will publish a report on the exercise of its functions during 2007-08 as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. Comparable figures for 2007-08 will be available when this report is published.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people employed by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency have been trained in powers of arrest since 1 April 2006.

Jacqui Smith: ( )Further to my response of 8 March 2007, 182 SOCA staff are undergoing( )the SOCA investigators course, which incorporates training in powers of( )arrest.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases relating to  (a) drugs,  (b) firearms and  (c) counterfeit currency have been referred to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) by HM Revenue and Customs; and how many of those cases have been investigated by SOCA.

Jacqui Smith: ( )Between 1 April 2006 and 31 August 2006, 444 notifications relating to( )drugs seizures were referred to SOCA by HM Revenue and Customs.( )Four of these cases were investigated by SOCA.
	In order to align these notifications with the UK Serious Organised Crime( )Control Strategy a refined framework was introduced on 1 September( )2006. Since then 101 notifications relating to drugs seizures have been( )received and SOCA has undertaken investigations in 30 of these cases.
	No notifications have been received relating to firearms or counterfeit( )currency.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) arrested,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) convicted as a result of operations by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

Jacqui Smith: The SOCA annual report for 2006-07 reported that SOCA casework in the UK had led to 749 arrests; 283 cases reached court and 271 resulted in convictions.
	Detailed cross-matching and validation of data between SOCA and its partners is carried out at the end of each financial year. SOCA will publish a report on the exercise of ail their functions during 2007-08 as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Firearms

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firearms have been seized by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

Jacqui Smith: The SOCA Annual Report for 2006-07 reported that SOCA activity had contributed to the seizure of 151 firearms in the UK.
	Detailed cross-matching and validation of data between SOCA and its partners is carried out at the end of each financial year. As required under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, SOCA will publish a report on the exercise of all its functions during 2007-08 as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Manpower

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: ( )The number of full-time equivalent staff directly employed by SOCA at 31( )January 2008 was 4,008.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Resignations

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff resigned from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in each quarter since 1 April 2006.

Jacqui Smith: The number of resignations from SOCA over the past seven quarters, since 1 April 2006, are: seven, 10, 28, 30, 36, 46, 29 and three staff have resigned during the current quarter.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Secondment

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency are seconded to partner agencies overseas.

Jacqui Smith: There are 32 officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency embedded with partner agencies overseas.

Shoplifting: Wales

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) arrested and  (b) convicted for shoplifting in the South Wales police force area in each of the last two years.

Tony McNulty: Information on how many people were  (a) arrested for shoplifting cannot be separately identified from the main offence group of 'other theft offences' of which it is a part.
	The number of people who were  (b) convicted for shoplifting in the South Wales police area was 1,704 in 2005 and 1,187 in 2006.

Shoplifting: Wales

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the incidence of shoplifting in the South Wales Police Division H area.

Vernon Coaker: It is not possible to accurately assess the prevalence of shoplifting. For a variety of reasons many offences are not reported to the police and many offences do not come to the attention of the victim. The available information is contained in the Home Office recorded crime statistics.
	South Wales police Division H equates to the Swansea basic command unit (BCU). At BCU level, the Home Office collects statistics on the numbers of offences recorded by the police for that area.
	The following table shows that when comparing 2005-06 with 2006-07, shoplifting offences recorded for Swansea BCU have increased by 19 per cent., from 1,449 to 1,726 offences. In 2006-07, shoplifting accounted for 8 per cent. of all crime recorded by the police in the Swansea BCU.
	Overall in 2006-07 there was a fall of 6 per cent. in total recorded crime in Swansea. There were also significant decreases in some of the high volume crimes with theft of a motor vehicle down 22 per cent., theft from a vehicle down 11 per cent. and violence against the person down 15 per cent.
	
		
			  Shoplifting offences recorded and detected in Swansea basic command unit (BCU) 
			   Number of offences recorded  Number of sanction detections  Sanction detection rate (percentage) 
			 2002-03 1,492 741 50 
			 200304 1,553 710 46 
			 2004-05 1,451 869 60 
			 2005-06 1,449 907 63 
			 2006-07 1,726 1,166 68

Special Constables: Travel

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to extend free travel on mainline railways in London to volunteer special police constables within the Metropolitan Police Service; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: I understand that the Metropolitan Police Service has no plans to extend free travel on mainline railways for special constables.

Task Force on Child Protection: Internet

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the operating budget was of the Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet in each year since its inception; and how many dedicated staff were employed by the Task Force in each year.

Vernon Coaker: All groups and organisations in the Home Secretary's taskforce on Online Child Protection contribute to resources and products which have been produced on an 'as needed' basis. There is no dedicated budget or resource.

Terrorism

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to create offences of  (a) grooming and  (b) radicalisation of children and vulnerable people by terrorists and extremist organisations.

Tony McNulty: There are no current plans for additional legislation to create specific offences of 'grooming' and 'radicalising' children and vulnerable people. The Terrorism Act 2006 introduced offences regarding the encouragement of terrorism which we believe are sufficient in this regard. Government continue to monitor the effectiveness of current terrorism legislation, and we are committed to working with communities and young people to build resilience to the threat from violent extremists who seek to undermine our shared values.

Terrorism

Adam Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from the Scottish Executive on the judicial processes to apply to those to be charged with terrorist offences where those offences are planned in England but carried out in Scotland.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 3 March 2008
	 The Counter-Terrorism Bill introduced on 24 January 2008 includes a proposal to enable specific terrorist offences committed in any part of the UK to be dealt with in any part of the UK. This provision updates the law and enables police forces and prosecuting authorities to handle terrorist cases in the most effective way. The Scottish Executive was fully consulted on this proposal before the Counter-Terrorism Bill was introduced.

Terrorism: Arrests

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many  (a) men and  (b) women have been (i) arrested, (ii) charged with and (iii) convicted of terrorist-related offences since the introduction of the Terrorism Act 2000;
	(2)  how many people have been  (a) arrested,  (b) charged and  (c) convicted of terrorist-related offences under (i) the Terrorism Act 2000, (ii) the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, (iii) the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 and (iv) the Terrorism Act 2006;
	(3)  how many people arrested under  (a) the Terrorism Act 2000,  (b) the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001,  (c) the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 and  (d) the Terrorism Act 2006 have been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of a non-terrorism related offence since each Act came into force.

Tony McNulty: Statistics on the number of arrests, charges and convictions under the Terrorism Act 2000 and under other legislation are available on the Home Office website. The figures are not broken down in the format requested as a power of arrest only exists under S41 of TACT 2000. There is no power of arrest under any of the other Acts mentioned.
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/
	Since 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2007, there have been 1,228 arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 or under other legislation, where the investigation was conducted as a Terrorist investigation. Of the total 1,228 arrested, 1,165 were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 and 63 arrests under other legislation, where the investigation was conducted as a terrorist investigation; 132 were charged with terrorism legislation offences only, and 109 charged with terrorism legislation offences and other criminal offences. In 2007, 37 individuals were convicted in 15 significant terrorist cases. 21 of those individuals pleaded guilty. So far in 2008,18 people have been convicted of significant terrorist related offences of which seven individuals pleaded guilty.

Terrorism: Children

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the use of children by terrorist organisations; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 22 February 2008
	 Assessment on the tactics used by terrorist organisations and trends are produced by the appropriate parts of the national security machinery. The Director General of the Security Service has said that terrorist organisations are attempting to radicalise young people. As a country we all have a shared duty to resist violent extremism and to protect young people from extremist messages. The Government are committed to working with communities and young people to build resilience to the threat from violent extremist groups who seek to undermine our shared values. While acknowledging the seriousness of the threat we currently face, the vast majority of people in Britain reject violent extremism.

Terrorism: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government has taken to improve counter terrorism efforts in the West Midlands in the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 26 November 2007
	Since early 2003, the United Kingdom has had a long-term strategy for countering international terrorism (known within Government as CONTEST). Its aim is to reduce the risk from international terrorism, so that people can go about their daily lives freely and with confidence. The strategy is divided into four principal strands: Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare. The polices and activities which flow from that cover the whole of the United Kingdom.
	As part of this strategy the Government have developed a national structure for counter terrorism policing which includes a Counter Terrorism Unit based in the West Midlands. The unit was established in April 2007 and will reach full capacity in 2008. The national structure has significantly increased the ability of the police to gather intelligence and evidence against terrorists and to disrupt them and their activities.

Theft: Children

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were charged or cautioned for robbery in Peterborough City Council area in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	Information covering persons aged under 18 cautioned or proceeded against at magistrates courts for robbery in the Cambridgeshire police force area from 1997-2006 are provided in the following table.
	The court proceedings database held by my Department does not contain information on charging. Also, data are not available below police force area level.
	
		
			  Number of offenders aged 10-17 cautioned and defendants aged 10-17 proceeded against for Robbery in the Cambridgeshire police force area, 1997-2006( 1,2) 
			   Offenders cautioned  Defendants proceeded against 
			 1997 6 38 
			 1998 2 30 
			 1999  49 
			 2000 3 40 
			 2001 2 28 
			 2002 1 37 
			 2003  34 
			 2004 6 28 
			 2005 6 38 
			 2006  34 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts.  As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.